


True Ways

by 1kinkyslytherin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Bashing, Developing Relationship, Evil Albus Dumbledore, First Kiss, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Good Darkside, Good Severus Snape, Good Tom Riddle, Hermione Granger Bashing, M/M, Magical Adoption, Mates, Mating Bond, Molly Weasley Bashing, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ron Weasley Bashing, Slow Build, True Mates, Werewolf Mates, bad lightside
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2019-09-04 23:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16799596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1kinkyslytherin/pseuds/1kinkyslytherin
Summary: What happens when detention in the Forbidden forest first year, takes an unsuspecting turn? When light is given to lies and unknown truths. Both the dark and light sides are not what they seem, and neither is Tom Riddle.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kanishsa agarwal](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kanishsa+agarwal).



> hey everyone, well here is my new fic it was requested by kanishsa agarwal and i am happy to say it's time to post i will try and post once a month and this is going to be a long fic, the longest i've ever written
> 
> this is one of the fastest story I've ever written. when I was first requested to write this fic I was a little apprehensive about how I would write it, but as I drove into it headfirst it snowballed and it's become the fastest story I've ever written to date. this story is more than I ever thought it could be. originally I hoped to make it at least 20,000 words now it's double that so I thank kanisha agarwal who requested this for giving me the opportunity to write it

words-speaking/ **spells/** _ writing-thoughts/ _ **_parsel_ **

Harry couldn't believe his monumentally bad luck as he continued to walk further into the dark and creepy trees of the Forbidden Forest. He not only got stuck with Draco Malfoy, the world's biggest prat, but also with Fang who, until Hagrid said that he was a “bloody coward,” sounded like a good idea for them to bring along with them as they went alone deeper into the forest. As they walked away from the others Malfoy jumped, twitched, and not to mention, complained the whole time when anything happened. The wind blowing, a branch rattling, or an animal scurrying in the distance, and Malfoy just had to make a big fuss over it. It was anyone's guess as to why Harry didn't just stop and walk off in the opposite direction, and as far away from Draco Malfoy as he possibly could.

It was almost an hour later, and only by chance, that Harry saw something shimmery on the ground. Getting Malfoy to stop, Harry looked closer. It was silver unicorn blood, large drops of it were scattered all over the ground. The drops led further into the woods, following them the pair soon heard something in the distance. As they moved closer, Harry realized it was two people talking, one’s voice was weak and slightly wheezy, the other was strong and horsley gruff. Harry could barely hear, let alone make out the words that were being spoken. 

“What in the world-”

“Keep quiet, Malfoy.”

“Don’t tell me to be quiet Potter. I’ll-” 

Harry quickly covered Malfoy’s mouth with his free hand and turned his attention back to the two figures speaking in the clearing in front of them. Afraid to move closer for fear that it would alert whoever was talking to their presence, Harry simply tried harder to make out the softly spoken words.

“My Lord... I... help.. you... need... blood... cursed...”

“No, I need it,” the weak voice mutters.

“... but, not... strong.” 

“I... have to...”

“... another way... Lord... more time?” The gruff voice asked, sounding desperate.

“NO!... time... need...once...” wheezed out the weaker, heavily cloaked figure.

“My Lord, I... get it... you,” said the gruff voice, sounding determined. “If it... done... I will...”

“...can’t... in the castle... get past... Cerberus... and Dumbledore’s...”

They continued to talk, until the larger man with the gruff voice stiffened and stood up, announcing, “someone’s here my Lord, I can smell them.”

“Get them! Now! Before get away and they tell someone,” yelled the weaker voice as well as he could with how weak he sounded.

“Run Fang! Get Hagrid,” Harry yelled throwing caution to the wind, knowing that staying hidden wouldn’t matter now that they've been caught spying on the two unknown people.

Turning around Harry lifted his wand only for Malfoy to pull out his own wand and turn it on Harry, pointing it right in his face.

“Malfoy what are you doing?” Asked Harry alarmed, turning his attention away from the large man that was lumbering towards them.

“I’m saving myself Potter. I’m doing what is expected of me.”

“What?” Harry asked, confused, but he didn’t have the chance to get an answer from Malfoy, not that it was likely that he would have gotten one. As the large man ripped Harry’s wand from his hand and grabbed him and lifting him up into the air. Once Harry was securely trapped in the man's arms he turned around and took Harry towards the weaker man.

“I see you’re not a total loss, young Malfoy. Come on, our Lord is waiting,” threw the gruff man over his shoulder as he carried a struggling Harry closer to the cloaked figure.

As they entered the small clearing, Harry, who was kicking and yelling, stopped. Suddenly he started to cry out in pain, his scar burning like someone was pressing red hot metal to his flesh.

“Ah, Harry Potter. Bring him closer Fenrir.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Fenrir said, though in that moment he wished he was anywhere else. The second the wind had shifted and he had smelled people close by, listening, he couldn't help but become alarmed. Every werewolf had a Mate. Male, female, young, old, it didn’t matter. The exact moment a creature smelled them, they knew that person was their Mate, their perfect match, the other half of themselves, someone that could handle their inner creature. Unfortunately for Fenrir it seemed that the boy he was holding was his Mate.

As Fenrir had gotten closer to the two young boys his heart sank, even without much light, he could still tell who his Mate was. His dark messy hair and bright Avada green eyes, were unmistakable, he looked so much like his parents, he couldn’t be anyone else but the son of Lily and James Potter. Knowing he had no choice, he grabbed his hopefully future Mate, who was a fighter. A few of the hits almost making Fenrir lose his grip on his fighting Mate, almost allowing him to escape. But Fenrir’s fear got the better of him and decided that in his grip, Harry would be safer for the moment.

Stopping in front of his Lord, he knelt down next to the Dark Lord while still holding the kicking, and screaming young man. Malfoy kneeled close behind him, shaking in fear.

“Harry Potter, I spent so much time looking for him and it he who finds me. And young Draco, it’s good to know your father has taught you properly... I’m too weak for this screaming. Fenrir, give me the boys wand.”

“Here my Lord,” Fenrir said as he handed over the wand.

“Ahh,” said the Dark Lord as he gripped the wand tightly in his thin hand. “It feels so much like my old wand... Time to stop this racket.  **Consano** ,” he chanted wheezily. As he turned the wand towards his own forehead, and with that, Harry stopped screaming and passed out from relief of the pain.

“My Lord?” Fenrir asked as he watched his Mate stop screaming in pain even though the healing spell wasn’t used on him.

“It’s an effect of the scar, my old friend. When I’m in pain and Harry is close, he has no choice but to feel it too and reacts to the pain just like that. It happened when he was a child too. Don’t you remember that day when we had all gone to Bellatrix’s and Rhodolphan’s vow renewal? I had been holding Harry at the time when Dumbledore and his order attacked and he cast the killing curse at us both and as a result, neither of us died, but poor Harry got this scar that connects us both to each other.”

“No my Lord, remember, at that time the other werewolves and I were being kept hidden as a surprise. I had never got to meet H-harry... My lord?”

“Yes, I remember now. All this time being so weak has scrambled my memories quite a bit, is something wrong?” Tom asked, a cough breaking through the wheezes.

“He’s my Mate my Lord.”

“What wonderful news! Too bad it’s at such a time. Speaking of time. Malfoy, go back to the castle, fall and trip a lot on the way there. Do all you can to make it look like you were attacked, tell them both you and Potter were attacked, and you ran away in fear for your life.”

“But what about Potter?” Squicked out Malfoy, his eyes still averted to the ground. He had been doing his best to listen to the conversation the men were having not that far away from him, to no avail.

“Harry Potter will be taken care of, expect your father write you a letter or to come to the castle in a few days time, tell no one anything until you have spoken to him. If anyone asks you don’t know where you were when you got lost in the forest. Now go, that giant will be coming along soon enough.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Draco quickly got up off the ground, bowed and then ran back into the woods.

“Look at how small he is my Lord,” commented Fenrir as he looked down on Harry’s prone form.

“Yes, it is strange. Now I told you stop it with all this Lord stuff, I am still me, call me by my name would you... How odd.... he isn’t anywhere even close to being the size of Draco, he looks more like he’s seven or eight years old rather than the eleven he is. Do you know where he’s been all these years Fenrir?”

“I had heard rumors that Dumbledore had sent him to Lily’s sister, his muggle Aunt. We have all tried to find him many times over the years, but with no luck,” replied Fenrir looking sick at the thought. Even though he had never met Harry until now, he had known both James and Lily very well. Well enough to know how Petunia and her husband felt about magic, and would have felt about having to live with a magical person, let alone raise a magical child.

“Damn that blasted old stupid arrogant goat! He knew what Petunia was like. I suppose he felt fine leaving Harry with those... those monsters! He never got over how Lily and James felt about his methods and how they joined our side once they found out our true goals, what we are really like, not the vile lies Dumbledore spreads about us. If they had died when I was still in power, if I hadn’t been attacked, I would have taken the boy in myself. James was so much like a son to me after they had realized the real truth. But no, I had to be there that night, Dumbledore just had to find us, and attacked me. He almost destroyed my body. All these years... who knows what lies have been fed to Harry, how they’ve twisted the past and manipulated everything that’s happened.”

“What better time than now Tom? When will you ever have a chance to be this close, to get to him before they fill him with even more lies. ”

“Quite right, I wouldn’t have but it past Dumbledore to have gone as far to put spells and charms on Harry as well.  **Revelio Incantamento...**

“That dirty rotten, no good, old son of a bitch! He’s the worst, what a manipulative old bastard, look at all of these spells, and potions,” said Tom as he looked down at the piece of paper the spell conjured. “Compulsion charms, all with loyalty towards Dumbledore, The Weasleys, Gryffindor, his relatives, The Dursley's. Hatred compulsions towards me, Slytherin’s, and even more towards Severus his godfather. The old coot even found a way to block his natural magical abilities, healing, parseltongue, natural occlumency, not to mention his brain, all natural above average intelligence locked away. All of these spells have dulled his brain to the point where they have made it nearly impossible for his brain to work properly, at least without great difficulty or concentration. He even has a love potion towards Ginny Weasley in his system, and much more, what good would that do in a young boy? It’s a wonder how Harry is still alive, all of this is restricting his magic, if anyone else had all so this on them they would be dead... unfortunately it will take more than a spell or two to remove all of these, these... abominations from him. 

“I fear we will need to do a cleansing ritual. I believe all of the ingredients can be found here in the forest. We will need a clean pond, moly flowers, powdered unicorn horn, red clover, and three speckled owl feathers. I know there's a pond a few yards to the east, and I left the unicorn I drank from earlier in a clearing behind us. I can summon some feathers from the owlery, and I do believe that moly grow near caves, there are some on the other side of the lake in the mountains, a half an hour walk at most. You go look for the flowers, they have black leaves and white petals. If you could cut off some of the horn before you go to the caves I will begin grounding it and watch after the boy. We will need to be fast, there is no doubt that the giant and Dumbledore will come looking for the boy soon. I can use some of my magic to cloak us for a few hours but not much more. Time is being wasted, go, and on your way there and back look out for red clover, I will look for it here as well.”

With those words they moved with a frenzy, or at least Fenrir did, Tom being to weak to move at such a pace. Fenrir swiftly cut a piece of horn off and gave it to Tom, he then took off running into the trees. With Fenrir gone Tom made sure to keep and eye and an ear out for any sign of danger, as well as looked after the sleeping form of Harry, while he ground the unicorn horn and tried to recall everything he could about the cleansing ritual they were going to use.

The boy moved some and moaned in his unconscious state, but otherwise was easy to watch, though despite his size was heavy for the Dark Lord as he moved his body through the forest over to the pond they were going to use. Luckily Tom spotted a few sprigs of red clover when he stopped and took a break to breathe while he was carrying, or more accurately dragging, Harry to the pond. Once both of them and the ingredients he had were at the pond Tom recited the ritual through his mind, this was not something he wanted to mess up. Tom only had one chance to get this right, with Dumbledore no doubt about, was already looking for the boy. Tom couldn’t afford to waste a second of time.

If anyone had been watching they would have seen a large snake in the shadows of the night, following the the pair, minding its own business as it slithered after them along the forest floor.

HP/FG-TW

Fenrir didn’t bother with trying to hide his existence or presence as he ran through the forest, he took off at a crash worthy pace and didn’t slow down, or try to be quiet as he ran through the underbrush. Breaking branches and shaking bushes in his wake. He, like his Lord, Tom, knew that time couldn’t be wasted, he had to get the flowers and get back to his Mate as fast as possible. Just by running as fast as he could he made it to the caves in record time, finding the flowers however was taking up any of the time he saved by running. He had before long, looked through only two of the dozens of caves with no luck, and was about to look in a third when something crashed into him unexpectedly. The attack was so unexpected that Fenrir didn’t have a chance to prepare and was thrown into the hard stone of the exposed outer walls of the caves. Out of the corner of his eye Fenrir spotted a leathery wing that was bigger than him, but only just. Fenrir cursed himself silently, he had forgotten that during the school year the thestrals tended to go across the lake, near the caves he was currently looking through. 

Pushing himself off the ground he quickly ducked into the closest cave, just in time to avoid being hit by another thestral. The bird and horse= like creature was too large to fit into the cave entrance to follow him, but it waited in the entrance way, waiting for Fenrir to get close enough for it to attack again. Despite being called dark creatures thestrals didn’t like werewolves, they had become prey of them too often, despite not having much if any meat on their bony and skeletal frames.

Taking the chance while he was trapped in the cave, Fenrir decided he might as well look for the flowers. The cave like most other caves that were near water that cave was moldy, cold, wet, and rather small at the entrance, but got bigger further in. After over ten minutes of no luck, Fenrir returned to the mouth of the cave, the thestral was still there waiting, but it looked to be bored waiting for him to come back. Fenrir paced back and forth just out of the thestrals reach trying to think of a way to get out past the thestral, and not worry about the time that was quickly ticking away while he was trapped. Then out of the corner of his eye did he catch a glimpse of white, there right next to the thestrals feet was a patch of what he was looking for, moly flowers.

**tbc**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone heres a christmas present for you all and i hope you like this new chapter

Despite agreeing to do what his future Lord asked, not that he couldn’t not do what was asked of him, Draco whined and complained to himself all the way back to the castle.

“Why do I have to ruin one of my best school robes, not like he cares. They aren't his robes. Why should I have to ruin my clothes?”

Yet despite his incessant complaining, Draco did as he was asked, falling down here and there, even going so far as to walk through some nasty, but not harmful, thorny bushes. The walk through the bushes added to the numerous scrapes, bruises, and cuts he already had across his body from the fake falls he had already made.

“And for Saint Potter to.”

When Draco finally made it to the edge of the tree line he was greeted by half of the staff that were gathered at the edge of the forest. Thankfully he looked the part he was trying to play, clothes ruined, covered in mud and things Draco would rather not think about, scratches almost everywhere adding his blood to the mix of things all over him. Draco of course played the perfect part, scared, angry and hurt. Reciting exactly what the Dark Lord wanted him to, but in a much more whiny and sacred way, and giving absolutely no help to any of the teachers as the where the attack and escape happened. Thought Dumbledore did try and use legilimency, to find out, but as a pureblood heir, Draco had already mastered the basics of occlumency enough to keep Dumbledore out of his mind, for now at least.

Madam Pomfrey soon swooped in and took him back up to the castle and to the hospital wing. She quickly healed the cuts, bruises, and scrapes he got, and sent him off to bed, seeing as he wasn’t harmed that much she didn’t make him stay over night unlike many other people who found themselves in her care and were forced to stay longer than most would deem necessary. 

After he left she penned a letter and sent it to his parents, knowing that it would be better if they find out from her, rather than her getting in trouble days latter when they found out from someone else that something had happened to their son. She was also hoping that because it wasn’t from Dumbledore that it would be better received. Not that she didn’t know that no matter who it came from Lucius would make someone pay, most likely Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey had no idea what had been going through Dumbledore’s head when he thought that sending students into the Forbidden Forest would go over well, even if nothing really bad had happened to Draco Malfoy.

HP/FG-TW

Fenrir didn't think, he simply jumped forward for the flowers, getting a good grip on a dozen or so of them before he yanked them out of the ground and rolled away, with another prize that was not the flowers. A thestral bite, big but not deep enough to do much more damage than make him bleed for while. Thrusting the handful flowers into the pocket of his cloak, Fenrir went far back in the cave and started running right at the mouth of the cave, the thestral had no chance. Even with it’s large body and strength it couldn’t handle the werewolf coming right for it at top speed, and it was pushed out of the way so hard and fast. It was still blinking away the stars from its eyes as it tried to watch Fenrir as he ran back into the dense trees.

Mentally cursing the minutes of wasted time, Fenrir ran harder than he did before, and was almost killing himself with how fast he was running, and had nearly ran into more than one tree on his way back to the clearing.

Once he arrived in the clearing he panicked. His Mate wasn’t here, or his Lord. Pacing back and forth he sniffed as hard as he could, they had been gone for while but he could still smell the scent of them in the clearing. Following his nose he zig zagged back and forth following where the scents where the strongest. Almost completely bent over he smelled the scent along the ground, running into a tree when he didn’t look up to see where he was going, his mind was focused on the mingled scents of his future Mate, and Lord. 

All the while his shoulder throbbing and dripping blood, but he paid it no mind as he searched the forest. Pushing through some tall, thick bushed he tumbled into another clearing, smaller than the one before.

Across the small clearing was Tom, kneeling in front of the small, almost bathtub sized pond. He was sprinkling the powdered horn into the water, and chanting as he did. Without taking his eyes off the pond he picked up a small stick from next to his leg and stirred the powdered unicorn into the still, silvery water. While stirring, and chanting, he lifted and arm out to the side pointing at Fenrir, an unspoken signal for Fenrir to hand over the flowers. 

Crossing the clearing in three large strides, Fenrir quickly handed over the bundle of flowers from inside his cloak, and stood there waiting by Tom’s side as he plucked the petals off the flowers and scattered them on the ponds surface. The petals glided across the pond, as if some unseen wind was blowing them back and forth, through the water was as still as ever and never rippled.

As his Lord continued to chant, and placed the ingredients into the pond, Fenrir couldn’t help but take a look at his sleeping Mate, who was laying in a patch of grass just off to the side of the pond. He looked even smaller now curled up on the dark tuft of grass. Despite his size and the now obvious scars that could be faintly seen in the pale glow of the moonlight, which accented the paleness of his skin, that in turn drew attention to his black as night tousled hair. Just from these looks Fenrir could tell that as he grew, which he doubted would be much taller than he was now, at least without a little help, and would blossom with beauty in time. The lightness of his skin, darkness of his hair, and vibrant brightness of his curse colored eyes, would be marvelous, and powerful in its own right. Even now as a gangly, young boy, not even in puberty yet, he was enchantingly mesmerizing. Though nothing could come of it, not really, until Harry came of age, and was able to recognize Fenrir as his Mate. 

Fenrir silently hoped that this all wouldn’t be for nothing, that they would be able to get out of the forest with his future Mate, but he knew his Lord would refuse to leave Hogwarts grounds until he got the stone.

HP/FG-TW

Tom wanted to scream in pain as he added the final ingredient to the pond, the strength it took to perform the ritual, and keep them all hidden with his magic was finally taking a toll on him. His muscles were aching from the cramps that ran through them and the strain of using so much magic in such a small amount of time in his already weakened state. 

The owl feathers floated along the surface like the flower petals did for a few minutes before sinking in the water, growing darker as they absorbed the water and got closer to the bottom of the pond. As soon as they touched the bottom the pond started to glow an even stronger sliver then the moon, shining outward, blinding both Tom and Fenrir with it’s overwhelming bright light.

As the light finally faded Tom said, “the pond is now ready. Once he is fully placed in the water it will cleanse him of all of the harmful spells that have been cast upon him, and free both his magic and his mind. Slowly place him in the water, and make sure not to touch the water itself, it can only be touched by one person, the one who it cleanses.”

As Fenrir reached down and scooped Harry up off of the ground, he couldn’t help but hiss and grit his teeth in pain. While the thestral bite didn’t do too much damage it was now causing Fenrir quite a bit of pain. Putting the pain out of his mind as best he could Fenrir carried Harry over to the pond, and lowered him into it, being careful not to touch the water as Tom had told him.

“Once the water starts to glow a deep black, the ritual is complete and he can be removed from the pond, but not a moment sooner. If he is removed too soon, when the ritual is in the process of being completed, he might not be completely cleansed of the spells, the spells on him could become even worse, worse to the point of them killing him within minutes with the sheer force of their destructive power.”

Fenrir bared his teeth and growled at the words that had just been spoken, his wolf rearing up inside him in anger at the thought of his Mate being hurt. He quickly forced the raging wolf down, knowing that what his Lord said wasn’t to cause anger or threaten him, but worn him if he interrupted the cleansing. Turning back to the pond he realized that there was another reason Tom had warned him, while the surface of the pond wasn’t that much bigger than a claw footed bathtub, it was much deeper than one. Harry had sunk deep into the pond, his whole body submerged in the water. It took all of his strength not to run and pull him out, despite knowing that because of the ritual Harry wouldn’t drown in the pond, that magic involved wouldn’t allow any harm come to him.

Time seemed to stretch on and on, with no end in sight, the minutes dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. Fenrir had turned away and back again, pacing between the pond and the edge of the clearing, forcing himself away from the pond, and his Mate who was laying at the bottom. 

“Calm down, it has only been five minutes. With all the spells on him and how long some of them have been on him, it will take a little while for them to be properly and completely removed.”

“ I know my Lord, but it is hard to control myself. My wolf is demanding that I get him out of there, and to safety.” Fenrir stated, tossing his head back and forth, agitation plain on his face.

“Well you can’t, if you doing anything you risk causing more damage to Harry. So if you need to go into the trees, I will call you when it is over, and than you can come and get him out of the pond,” said Tom. Who was the picture of calm, and reason.

“No, I can stay here.”

“Good, now stand still, you are making me anxious will all your moving around... Look, the water is starting to glow, it shouldn’t be long now,” said Tom as he reached out a hand to caress Nagini’s head interacting with her for the first time since Fenrir had approached him just a few hours ago. She and her constant hissing commentary had kept him calm the whole night and he wasn’t going to get excited now.

HP/FG-TW

The first thing Harry realized when he woke up was that he couldn’t breath, he was surrounded by water and couldn’t breath. He panicked, it was too dark to see anything, let alone where the surface was, where he could get to air. Then suddenly he felt something grab him, he trashed even harder, fighting the strong thing that was holding him. As he fought the weaker he felt and if he could have seen he would have seen the edges of his eyes getting dark. Then his head broke the surface, Harry breathed in deeply, over and over until it felt like he was starting to hyperventilate. 

His glasses were gone, and even without the water in his eyes everything would have looked blurry. The best he could tell was he was surrounded by trees. Then it all came back to him, Malfoy getting them detentions, going into the Forbidden Forest with Malfoy and Fang, coming across two people talking. Then Malfoy suddenly turning his wand on Harry, sending Fang away to get help, then getting grabbed by someone and lots of pain, then darkness. Harry quickly whipped his head around looking behind him, there was a large man towering over him, and another sitting on the ground a few feet away. Harry scampered away from them as quick as he was able, though he didn’t get very far when he caught a foot on a large uprooted tree root, and froze in pain. Even though he wasn’t standing he fell against the ground, clenching his teeth to keep from screaming. Not that he got much time to lay there before he was picked up and taken back into the center of the clearing.

“What do you want with me?” Harry asked from between his clenched teeth as he was sat on the ground in front of the other man, squishing as he touched the ground. “Why am I covered in water?”

“Those two thing are connected to each other. I do not want to do anything to you, except tell you the truth that has no doubt been kept from you. And as for why you are wet, you had many, many spells put on you that were very harmful, and more than likely would have kill you.”

“What?! Why? Who would have done that?”

“Albus Dumbledore.”

“No!” Harry exploded. “He wouldn’t do that. You're lying.”

“I can prove to you that I am not,” said Tom, as he pulled his hood off allowing Harry to really get a look at him.


	3. Chapter 3

“How?” Asked Harry, who was getting more confused by the second.

“I will swear on my magic, if I lie to you after I swear to tell you the truth, I will no longer have my magic, will that suffice?”

“What? Why would you give up your magic?” Asked Harry, shocked that someone would do something like that, just to prove that he wasn’t lying.

“To prove to you that you can trust me, and what I have to say.”

“Alright.”

Tom swore on his magic. “Now you have to promise me something. You can not panic or try to leave until I have explained everything.”

“I promise.”

“Have you heard of Lord Voldemort?”

“Yes, he’s the evil man who killed my parents, and gave me this.” Harry reached up and pulled his damp hair away from his forehead to show the scar that was there. 

“Who told you this?”

“Everyone, I guess. But Hagrid was the person who told me about him first.”

“They were lying to you, they were telling you the lie that they and the rest of the wizarding world has been told. You see he didn’t kill you parents, or give you that scar. But yes they were both done by the same person, but it wasn’t Lord Voldemort,” said Tom as he gazed into Harry’s disbelieving eyes. “In fact Lord Voldemort doesn’t even exist. He was created by a wizard named Tom Riddle so he could try and make the wizarding world better without interference, Tom Riddle was just a young man who wanted to save our world, but because someone told everyone Tom was bad he wasn’t able to do the good he dreamed of. So he started to use the name Lord Voldemort. I am Tom Riddle. And I never hurt you or your parents, in fact we were good friends, and Dumbledore didn’t like that. When I was in school I started dreaming about how I could make this world better, I had grown up in an orphanage, and was treated terribly by the caretakers and the other boys and girls. They knew I was different and they treated me like I was evil, much like your relatives the Dursley’s treat you, that is who you live with? Your aunt and uncle?”

“Yes,” said Harry who was doing his best to not panic at what he was being told. That everything he thought he knew to be true was nothing but a lie.

“I thought so. You were never supposed to go to them. Lily had told us all how horrible they were, and made us promise that if anything ever happen to her and your father that we would stop you from being sent there. Unfortunately we were unable to stop it. Dumbledore got to you first, and sent you there, we couldn’t find you after that. He somehow magically hid you from us. Ideally you would have gone to your godfather, Severus Snape... Get that look off your face. He loves you but he can’t show it, Dumbledore has no idea that he is your godfather, but if he knew he wouldn’t allow him to give you a home. He might even hurt Severus if he showed anything but hate towards you.

“You see, Dumbledore killed your parents, and gave you that scar, I should know because I was holding you when it happened. We were all at one of my followers re-bonding ceremonies, which is like a muggle wedding. Your parents had brought you along, it was your godmother Bellatrix’s ceremonie, and I was holding you for them. When suddenly Dumbledore came bursting through the wards with his order and shot the killing curse at us, it gave you this scar and connected us magically. Earlier when you found us and suddenly felt like you were on fire, you were in so much pain, it was my pain you were feeling. Anyway after that he discovered that your parents had joined me and were helping me try to make our world better, we wanted to separate from the muggle world completely, he saw it as a betrayal and wanted them dead.

“You see when muggleborns come into our world they cause so many problems. They don’t know or like our traditions, so people like Dumbledore replace them with muggle ones, and then the Ministry with their quest to control magic, restrict its types and uses combined with the disrespect shown to our sacred days and festivals is making magic weaker. They might not know it, and if they do maybe they don’t care, but magic is starting to die from their actions. Also when they come into our world they bring their parents, who either don’t like that the children have magic, or they go around blabbing to people, they’re are warned not to, but most don’t listen. That’s not even the worst part. When they come into this world they don’t know anything about it, and what’s worse they don’t respect it once they do, and most after they finish their education at Hogwarts they just leave. To live back in the muggle world, that causes the most problems, they don’t stay to add to our magic and society, they leave and make it more likely that the whole of the muggle world will find out about us. And we know how that will go, we’ve seen it before here in England during the Middle Ages, Salem in America, these times in history are ones we do not need to see happen again. What we should have been doing all along, what we want to do is to take the muggleborns away from the muggle parents they were born to. Over a hundred muggleborns are killed by their own parents each year, they are scared of them and can’t handle having a magical child. And If they are not killed they are hurt and treated horribly, like we were. 

“When Dumbledore found where you and your parents were hiding he killed them, then he placed you with your aunt and uncle knowing, hoping that they would treat you just the way they did. 

“I was there at the time when he attacked and I tried to help but he got the better of me, I was so focused on trying to protect you, he won and wounded me badly. Then he magically sent me away, it has taken me ten years to have the strength and power to get back to England. I came here to get something that will give me my strength back, something that will heal me completely.”

“I have so many questions... but all of that doesn’t explain why I’m all wet,” Harry questioned, choosing not to go into the big questions just yet, grabbing part of his robes and squeezing water from them.

“Well answer me this first, how do you feel about Slytherin’s?”

“The same as I feel about everyone else I guess.”

“But you didn’t before?” Tom asked.

“No... I- I hated them?... What’s going on?”

“When Dumbledore took you and placed you with your aunt and uncle he put lots of spells and potions on you, to make you hate me, Severus, and all Slytherins, and to love and be loyal to him, and the Weasley’s. As well as blocks most of your magic, and natural magical powers such as healing, parseltongue, which is the ability to speak to snakes. And other things, the spells were slowly killing you so we did a cleansing ritual to remove them. That is why you are all wet, we had to put you in that pond over there along with magical ingredients. I believe it is safe to say that now that they're gone you should heal much faster, and it’s possible that your eyesight should improve as well. Though now that they are gone, Dumbledore will notice, and try to replace them as soon as he can. If I could I would take you away from here and protect you, but I am too weak, and I still need to get what I came for.”

“The stone.”

“Yes, how did you know?” Asked Tom, who looked shocked, he was amazed that Harry knew exactly what he had come for.

“It was easy to figure out, not only that it was in the castle, and that someone wanted to steal it.” 

“How? It took me ages to figure out that it was in Gringotts, then just when I go to get it it gets moved here to Hogwarts. I know it’s on the third floor corridor, but I have no way to get in, let alone what is waiting for me once I do.” 

“I had help.” Harry admitted. “Ron and Hermione helped me. Though now that I think about it, it seemed so easy to figure it out.”

“No doubt it was to easy to figure out. Dumbledore has had the whole Weasley family, as far as I know, eating out of the palm of his hand for years. And Hermione Granger, a muggle born, she from what I have learned is a know-it-all who has no friends, and believes in books and authority figures too easily. He probably got to her and convinced her to do whatever he asks of her.”

“How are you going to get in to get the stone?” Harry asked, seeming calm on the outside but filled with a whirlwind of turmoil inside. The things he was being told conflicted with everything he had known his whole life, and with the stuff he had been told since learning about the wizarding world.

“I’m not sure, I have a few plans but they aren't as good as I would like and don’t allow for as many problems as I might face.”

“Can I help? I can get into the castle, and I have something that might be able to help,” said Harry who was thinking about his father’s cloak.

“No, it’s too risky... Wait does this mean that you believe me?” 

“I guess I do,” said Harry thinking that he really couldn’t not believe what the man was telling him. “You still have your magic, right?”

“Yes,” said Tom as he waved his hand over Harry and dried his soaking robes, if only to show he still had his magic.

“So then I believe you. But you have to let me help, you can’t get into the castle without being found out. And with everything that I’ve been given, I think I know what to expect,” Harry said confidently. 

“I will not let you do it alone. I will go with you.”

“It’s that too dangerous my Lord,” said Fenrir, finally speaking up.

“I still have a few tricks up my sleeve,” and promptly turned into a bunny, a small pure black bunny.

“My Lord your a... animagus, a -” stammered Fenrir.

“Yes, I am, and I expect you to keep it a secret. It’s helpful that no one knows what my animagus form is, and the fact that I even have one,” said Tom as he turned back into a human. When he changed back Harry didn’t like how Tom looked, he looked even older than he did before, showing how much even a small piece of magic was costing him. Not to mention Tom could feel Nagini’s eyes on him from where she had backed up out of eyesight so as not to frighten Harry, but as intelligent as she could be there was a reason he didn’t turn into his animagus form around her, she quite enjoyed the taste of them.

“A bunny? Really?” Harry asked, even if he wasn’t evil, Harry couldn’t believe that such a powerful wizard was a bunny animagus.

“Yes, a  _ bunny.  _ It’s a small and inconspicuous animal that allows me to remain for the most part, unnoticed,” Tom explained with a faint look of annoyance.

“How is turning into a bunny going to help you get in the castle?”

“You are going to take me in,” Tom answered.

“Me? I’m going to?”

“Yes, Dumbledore is not doubt still looking for you. I had Draco Malfoy go back and lie to him, and tell him that you were both attacked. So when you leave the forest you will be taking me with you. If anyone asks tell them you found me while you were trying to find your way back.”

“What if Dumbledore asks more questions, or Madam Pomfrey makes me stay the night in the Hospital wing?”

“That won’t matter, just make sure not to look into Dumbledore’s eyes, and he will most likely just send you up to bed rather than let her have a look at you. He would want to keep the spells he placed on you from being found at all cost, and leave you weak even if you only have a few scratches or bruises.”

HP/FG-TW

When Harry finally found his way back everything happened just like Tom said it would. Dumbledore questioned Harry until the sun had started to come up, only letting him go when it seemed like he had asked every question over a dozen times. And all the while the man never asked if he was alright, feeling good or bad, and didn't even ask where his glasses had gone, they had fallen off Harry when Fenrir had first grabbed him. He did ask why Harry had a bunny, and then to get rid of it, politely though. To which Harry refused, politely.

Thank goodness it was a Saturday morning and thankfully Harry didn’t have to do go class in three hours, and therefore was able to sleep until early in the afternoon. Tom stayed in his bunny form, except when he quickly turned into his human self to show Harry how to transfigure himself a temporary pair of glasses, otherwise he slept next to Harry’s skinny legs in his bed. Harry would have gotten more sleep if not for Ron and Hermione, who had no doubt been sent to question him by Dumbledore. 

They barged into the dorm room, slamming the door against the wall in the process, which in turn caused Harry to bolt right up accidentally causing him to kick bunny Tom off of the bed. To say Tom was not pleased would be an understatement, though he wasn’t angry at Harry, he was angry at Ron and Hermione. He was already unhappy with them because they were lying to Harry, and pretending to be his friends, and working for who Tom thought was the worst person imaginable. Albus Dumbledore.

“Harry, where were you?” 

“What happened last night?” Demanded Hermione as she stormed right up to his bed.

“You never came back last night, did you get lost?”

“What is that?!?!” Screeched Hermione as the black bunny came running at her from where it had landed after having been kicked off the bed.

Harry quickly dashed off the bed and scooped Tom up before he got to her, “I found him on my way back. I had gotten lost after that big animal had attacked us and scared Malfoy away. I was trying to find my way back when I came across him, and he was so friendly I decided to keep him. He’s small and won’t cause trouble.”

“What do you call him running at me than?!!”

“He got scared, he isn’t used to being inside and he’s never met you,” Harry explained, not knowing where he was getting any of his explanations from.

“Are you sure you should keep it mate? You don’t know where it’s come from.”

“He’s fine Ron. He just has to get used to living inside.”

“Well keep him away from me, did you name him?” Hermione asked as she gave the bunny yet another weird look.

“No, I haven’t had much of a chance to think about it.”  _ And I doubt Lord Voldemort... Tom wants me to name him,  _ Harry thought to himself.

“It’s lunch, since we didn’t really get to eat dinner last night, and you missed breakfast, we should go to lunch. Though I think you should leave your  _ bunny  _ here,” Hermione suggested, more like commanded.

“No, I have to get him something to eat, they should have some raw veggies, or salad stuff downstairs. I don’t know the last time he’s eaten, I need to make sure he doesn’t starve.”  _ And I don’t think he would want to stay up here when he could have a good look around. _

With that final word on the matter Harry put the bunny back on his bed and quickly changed into some new clothes in the adjoined shared bathroom, leaving a slightly stunned Ron and Hermione behind. 


	4. Chapter 4

After leaving the bathroom Harry walked around the still stunned couple, grabbed the slightly less, but still angry Dark Lord, and headed down to the Great hall to get lunch. Harry wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t know the last time he ate, and the thought that a little food wouldn’t do any harm. As a human Tom was much like his bunny form, extremely thin, and in need of many meals. In bunny form he wasn’t much better, but the thick fluffy fur did a lot to hide it. Heading to his usual seat Harry put Tom down next to his plate, then gathered up some baby carrots, lettuce and grape tomatoes for Tom, before filling his own plate with a roast beef sandwich, a turkey sandwich, and of plenty crisps. Tom started to glare at Harry, before realizing that this is what someone would feed a bunny, and that it would look even weirder if Harry had given him anything else. Not that it mattered much in the end, Tom was happy to eat something that was fresh, not to mention clean, and for a bonus it actually tasted good. Unlike the food he had been eating, most of it coming out of rubbish bins, thought he wasn’t proud of it, he had to eat, one way or another. 

Despite the lunch he was given Tom was having a rather nice time. It felt good to be back in the castle, it had always felt like home to him. The sentient magic of the castle had welcomed him the second he had first walked onto the grounds as a child, and had continued to do over the years. When he had to leave for good when he graduated it was one of the saddest days of his life, up till then at least. 

They both basked in the silence, enjoying their respective meals, that was until Ron and Hermione finally showed up.

“Harry, why did you leave without us?”

“I didn’t know I  _ had  _ to wait for you. Besides both me and the bunny were hungry.”

“You don’t have too, but we always go to lunch together,” said Hermione, in her usual bossy, I know what’s best voice. “I mean it’s fine if you want to do things  _ all  _ alone.”

Both Harry and Tom knew she was trying to play on Harry’s fears. Except for the bindings on his natural powers and magic, the spells and potions that were on him they didn’t really affect his personality until he was brought into the wizarding word, and even then they only affected it slightly. So Harry still had the same fears now that he did before he even heard of Hogwarts, like never having friends, everyone thinking he was a freak. Now without the spells and what not, it was so easy to see the not so subtle manipulations that they were using, now that the spells weren’t affecting his brain. Harry tried not to let it bug him, but they were fears he’d had even since he figured out that he wouldn’t fit in, that his family never liked him because he was different, and always would be. And even the fact that he now knew what they were trying to do didn’t stop the words from affecting him, though he knew even without them trying to manipulate him and being under Dumbledore’s orders he wouldn’t want friends like them. That he would rather be alone and lonely forever than have fake friends, fake friends were worse than no friends. Though Harry now guessed he kind of had a new friend, even if he was “evil” or everyone though he was evil.

“I think I will, after all we do have five essay’s to turn in on Monday, and I think I had better start on them after I finish eating.” With that final word Harry turned back to his half eaten lunch and continued eating, while Tom gave the pair the darkest glare he could give, with the face of a bunny anyway.

Behind Harry’s back Ron and Hermione couldn’t help but give each other the most bewildered stairs, turning their gazes back to Harry they were going to speak again but were put off by the bunny that was giving them the harshest death glare they had seen. Shooting Dumbledore significant looks, they moved down the table and started eating their lunch, while still keeping an eye on Harry. At least on Hermione’s part, Ron had started to drool the second he stepped into the hall, and had quickly started to devour everything in arm's reach the second he had the chance to.

Dumbledore wasn’t the only one to catch the Golden Trio’s conversation, the people around them did, as well as one Potion's Master had seen the transaction, as well as the look the two of them had given the Headmaster. His face morphed into one of shock not that anyone was able to tell, it looked more like a small sneer, which was much more common to see on his face than one of shock.

Draco Malfoy didn’t have that problem though, the shock on his face was plain for everyone who was looking to see. He had expected to never see Potter again, alive at least. The Dark Lord wanted to kill him right? So why was he alive and in the middle of the Great hall, with a little black bunny no less, and from the looks of things was arguing with his best friends. He thought nothing could come between them, so why were they fighting so strongly about? Did it have to do with why he was still alive? The Dark Lord said he would be getting a message or visit from his father in the next few days, so he decided to wait and watch, if anything else strange happened he wanted to be able to tell his father all about it. And Draco felt he wouldn’t have to wait long for that something to happen.

HP/FG-TW

After finishing the rest of his lunch undisturbed, Harry took Tom and walked around the castle until he was sure no one was following him and went to one of the abandoned classrooms near where he had found the Mirror of Erised. There he pulled a roast beef sandwich he had snuck away out of his pocket, he had seen Tom looking at his with longing and decided to grab him one.

“No one should find us here. You should be safe enough to transform back.”

“How did you know I wanted one of those?” Tom asked as he morphed back into his human self, mouth watering at the sight of the fresh and still warm roast beef sandwich.

“I recognised to look you had in your eye when you saw mine, and I figured you could use more to eat than the veggies I grabbed for you earlier.” Harry turned around and pulled a sheet off of one of the lightly moth eaten sofas that was crowded on the side of the room, giving it a few taps to get rid of some of the dust Harry sat down and watched amused as Tom dug into the sandwich. 

Despite the sandwiches larger size Tom lemented it’s end, even with the large for a bunny helping of vegetables Tom hadn’t eaten a good sized anything in weeks. When he was still in Albania he had eaten everything he could get his hands on while healing, but once he deemed himself strong enough to he started to make his way back to England. That proved to be a whole new issue. He had been in Albania for a few years and knew where to find food, but once he started traveling, food, let alone anything close to a proper meal, were few and very far between. The most food he had gotten was usually in bunny form and while food was easier to find, his stomach as a bunny was small, not to mention what he found as a bunny, most of it couldn’t be eaten while he was human.

“I can get you some more food at dinner, or I don’t know how but the Weasley Twins can always seem to get food, I could ask them to get me some. Unlike Ron I know I can trust them. They aren't as Light as the rest of their family, but they hide it well. Not to mention everyone underestimates them, they are huge jokers, and because of that that’s all anyone seems to think they're good at or interested in. But their marvelous at potions, transfiguration, and charms.”

Harry and Tom spent the rest of the day in the abandoned room, Tom showing Harry a few useful charms, like  **Accio, Revilio,** and a few others he thought could be useful. They didn’t leave until just before dinner, where Harry snuck two dinner rolls, and a nice sized slice of honeyed ham into a napkin. 

After dinner they headed back up to the dorm where Harry watched out in the dorm room, so Tom could eat his ham and rolls in the bathroom away from prying eyes. They both went to bed early, Harry setting a personal alarm on his wand to wake them up around midnight, one that wouldn’t wake anyone else in the dorm up.

HP/FG-TW

It was quite alarming to wake up to a loud unfamiliar whistling, only to see a bunny less than an inch from your face. Scrambling up Harry backed away from the bunny, which didn’t work seeing as said bunny was sitting on his chest, causing the bunny to tumble off and onto the bed. 

As Harry got dressed Tom turned back into a human and asked, “will you be coming with me when I leave?”

“Me?” Asked Harry as he nearly dropped his trousers in shock at the question.

“Yes, you. Harry you should have never been raised they way you were, treated that way, kept away from the world you belong in, let alone by those horrible muggles. I want you to come with me, you have no need to worry about your education, I will make sure you will learn all that you can. And above all I promise never to use you like Dumbledore had tried, to control your life. I want you to be happy and safe, something I am sure you will never be here with Dumbledore and his side. They will always try and make you into something your not. So please I ask you to come with me, to allow me to give you what you should have always had.” Tom was nervous, he knew he had gained some trust from Harry but trusting him, and going away with him were two different things. That and Harry was Fenrir’s Mate, Fenrir would never be able to leave his Mate behind, let alone with Dumbledore.

“Yes I’ll come with you,” Harry wanted what Tom was offering so bad that he wouldn’t have been able to say no even if he wanted to.

Harry gathered up his invisibility cloak, wand, and packed his truck with all of his belongings and shrunk it, then he slipped it into his pocket. 

“Is that what I think it is?!” Asked Tom, eyes wide open staring at the cloak, awe clear on the thin wizards face.

“Yes, it’s an invisibility cloak. It used to belong to my father. I got it for Christmas this year, the note that came with it said my father had lended it to the person before he died, and they felt it was time it was returned to me now that I was old enough.”

Grabbing Tom after he had turned back into a bunny, Harry put the cloak on and headed to the owlery. Once there he found Hedwig and told her to wait at the edge of the forest for him. He and Tom quickly headed to the third floor, Tom had already knew the way around Fluffy. One of the charms Tom had taught Harry earlier was a music charm, that conjured a magical instrument that would play itself. Unfortunately the more skilled you were at conjuring, or the more practice you had, you could conjure more types instruments, and ones that played the music better. Harry only having less than an hour of practice could only conjure a maraca that didn’t play any discernible tune, but Tom deemed it good enough for what they needed. Sure he could have used Harry’s wand but with how weak he was, and the fact that it was Harry’s wand, even if they did have wands that were so similar they were interchangeable, he let Harry cast the spell. 

The maraca wasn’t all that good but it did a good enough job to put the dog to sleep, and the three headed dog was snoring away in seconds. With the dog out of the way Tom transformed back, and the two of them looked around the small room. After his fifth circle around the room Harry was about to give up when he saw something about part of the wall, it wasn’t much and didn’t really do anything but there was something off about it, it wasn’t any regular wall.

“Over here, I think I found something.”

“What is it?” Tom asked as he walked around the still sleeping cerberus. 

“The wall. There’s something wrong with it, I think I saw it move.”

“It moved?”

“Well not exactly,” Harry scratched his head. “It didn’t look right, like it wasn’t solid.”

Tom looked at the wall for a while, before touching the wall. He moved his hand back and forth, running it over the wall, on one pass half of his hand seemed to disappear into the wall.

“What was that,” Harry exclaimed.

“It’s an illusion. There must be a door or something in this wall, whatever it is it’s hiding part of the real wall. I don’t know what though, I can’t feel anything but a smooth wall... Try and use  **Revelio** it could either show us what spell or ward was used, or even show us what’s behind the part of the wall that’s hidden.”

“ **Revelio.”**

It was like a thick fog clearing the way the spell cleared the illusion off the wall. It stuck out like a sore thumb, heavy and stone the door was like very few others in the castle, having been switched out for lighter, newer wooden doors.

Despite its weight, the door opened easily, a long and touch lit hallway lay behind it. With one look behind at the three headed dog, to make sure it was still sleeping, they stepped into the hallway and towards the next obstacle on their way to the stone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> challenge time... if this fic can get over 50 reviews by the fifth of april i will post the next chapter, chapter 6 on the 6th... good luck please review!

The hall that was hidden behind the hidden door took many twists and turns, but Harry and Tom had come across no doors or any other way out of the neverending hall. It seemed like forever had gone by when they finally came to a door. It was exactly like the one that had been hidden in the first room. This door opened just as easily as the last, and it wasn’t even locked, which surprised Tom.

The room it lead to looked to be a plain room, four walls a ceiling, and two doors, the one they came in and the one that Harry bet they had to find a way to get through. Nothing stood out but a dark circle in the middle of the floor, illuminated by some light that seemed to come from nowhere. Not seeing anything else in the room and a quick  **Revelio** didn’t show anything when Harry casted it.

With nothing else to find they both moved towards the circle and once both of them were touching the circle the room turned pitch black with small glowing flecks floating in the air. They appeared to move towards each other growing bigger as the moved. Before long the room had been turned into a living map of space and stars. A beam of light cut through the darkness and onto a podium in front of the door they needed to go through. On the podium was a piece of parchment.

_ On Gaia here we stand _

_ But who goes hand in hand _

_ For a son isn’t near _

_ But who does everyone fear? _

“This must be Professor Sinatra's room, she’s the Astronomy teacher,” said Harry.

“Well Gaia is the name for the Greek personification of the earth, and they use son instead of sun, and she is the mother and wife of Uranus, the name of one of the planets that is in our solar system. I think that’s what it means by hand in hand, Gaia is greek but they named the planets after the Roman gods, who are seen as the same people as the Greek ones... But who does everyone one fear?” Asked Tom as he looked at the parchment.

“Pluto! He’s the Roman god of the Underworld, death. It’s Pluto.”

The unseen light came back on and the door opened on it’s own.

“You were right, on we go.”

HP/FG-TW

The next room had the tallest walls, ever taller than the ones in the Great hall. There was a long table that took up most of the room, it held several objects that didn’t seem to have anything to do with each other, there was a candle holder, a fork, a high heeled shoe, an , and a vase.

“What are these for?” Asked Harry as he looked over the items.

“I don’t know, they’re so random.”

After an hour of pacing and thinking up crazy ideas, they were nowhere closer to understanding the objects than when they entered to room. Finally Harry plopped himself on the ground and lay on the floor like he was about to make a snow angel, wishing that the headache he had gotten not long after they entered to room would go away soon. Looking up he wondered why the walls were so high, they had no reason, at least that Harry could see, to be so tall. He looked up and thought about why it was so high hoping that it would take his mind off of the headache he had, and maybe help him figure out what the stuff on the table was for. 

The strange light that filled each of the rooms came from no candles or torches like the hallway and the room before, but it seemed like it came from the air as Harry couldn’t see where it would come from otherwise. 

As Harry stared up at the ceiling he searched for cracks, or bumps in it to have something to concentrate on, as Tom got more frustrated trying to figure the reason they had been given these objects when Harry saw something. At first, he thought it was a crack, and they he saw another, and the more he found he realized that they weren’t cracks but shapes. And as he looked at the shapes he wondered what they were, he soon figured out that they weren’t natural, and they matched the outline of the objects that covered the table.

“I found something. There’s something on the ceiling,” said Harry.

“What?!? The ceiling? What did you find?”

“There are weird shapes on the ceiling, they look like the stuff we were given.”

“Where?” Asked Tom as he looked up towards the ceiling.

“Along the top of the ceiling, in a line in the middle.”

“Oh I see. What does it mean though? We have the objects hear on the ground, and outlines of them on the ceiling, and why is the ceiling so tall? Do we have to match them up? And if we do we won’t be able to, it’s too high.” Tom wondered out loud as he looked between the ceiling and the table.

“I know. We just learned this, the levitation charm. This must be Flitwick’s room.  **Wingardium Leviosa.”**

As Harry maneuvered the shapes into the right spots with the charm, they stuck to the ceiling when they matched up to their shape, and with each item added to the ceiling a new piece was added to the table, what was turning out to be a key. As the last piece fell into place the key glowed and as the light around it dimmed, and a whole key was left in it’s place. 

Wasting no time Tom grabbed the key off the table, and opened the door.

HP/FG-TW

Fenrir was getting worried, it was already well after midnight. He had expected Tom and his Mate to return not long after going into the castle, but now it was almost a day later and they hadn’t shown up. He had stayed in the shadow of the forest the whole day, just beyond the edge, so he wouldn’t be able to miss them. He did spot an owl, one so white she stood out against the night sky, but there was no sign of his Lord or Mate.

By the time the light of the rising sun had started to poke over the edges of the mountains that surrounded the grounds, Fenrir had started to lose hope. That his Master and Mate had been captured, or that his Mate had been lying and had turned Tom in.

Once the sun had fully rose from behind the mountains, he had all but given up and was getting ready to head back into the depths of the forest. Fenrir gave one last look towards the ancient castle, when he heard someone crashing through the trees and bushes near him. Ducking behind a thick tree he looked out from behind it as he prepared to run.

HP/FG-TW

It was a lab, and it looked to be fully stocked. With a single table in the middle. Along one wall was a row of cauldrons, standard pewter, solid gold, silver, glass, crystal, ones big enough to put a person in, and some so small that they fit in the palm of your hand. On the table was another piece of parchment, with  _ Disintegration Solution  _ written across the top _.  _

“This must be Severus’s room... We must have to make this to get through the door, there's no keyhole so it looks like we have to make this to melt the door away.” 

_ 1 cup of watery armadillo bile _

_ 1 pinch of powdered boomslang skin _

_ 8 lacewing flies _

_ 3 common beetle eyes _

_ 7 drops of belladonna extract _

_ 12 small sized whole doxy eggs _

_ 4 pieces of knotgrass cut lengthwise _

_ 1 large finely chopped valerian root _

_ Juice of 20 sopophorous beans _

_ 6 pieces of thinly sliced mandrake root _

_ Use one medium sized glass cauldron and one hollow silver stirring rod. Set on high heat pour in armadillo and sopophorous bean juice, bring to a boil. Add belladonna extract while boiling boil for six minutes then take off of fire. Once removed from fire and turns a milky white, add doxy eggs and boomslang skin one at a time stirring twice clockwise between each, stir eight times counterclockwise than three times clockwise, waiting one minute between each stir. Than replace on fire. After reaching a boil stir clockwise for at least ten minutes until it turns lumpy and a dull gray. Then quickly add remaining ingredients stirring for two minutes then stop for fifteen minutes and then stirring again for four more minutes, if made properly it should become smooth and turn bright pale blue. _

The potion didn’t take long to make at all but preparing some of the ingredients was another story. The Sopophorous Beans proved to be very hard and therefore difficult to cut, it wasn’t until after a few tries, and Harry went to cut one only for it to fly into Tom’s path, causing him to step on it. As he stepped on it it released a large amount of juice grabbing a new bean to replace the one Tom stepped on, Harry then crushed the rest of the beans to get the juice out of them. 

Harry was good at potions, not that Snape or the other Slytherin’s let him show that. With the Slytherin’s sabotaging him at every chance, or Snape breathing down his neck, and making rude comments. Harry had read his potions book the most, and had wanted to ask so many questions about potions making, that it had hurt so bad when he made fun of Harry in their first class. After that, and a few other classes Harry had all but given up at trying to get a good grade in that class, or trying to learn how to make potions. But thankfully it didn’t stop him from reading potions books when he could.

By the time the potion was finished Harry was getting tired. With staying up for most of the night last night, except for when he was knocked out, then all the work he and Tom had done in preparation for tonight, and then tonight was taking a toll on him. Tom threw the potion on the door, and it started to dissolve the door quickly, and only the door.

“The walls and the floor must have a spell or potion on them to make sure they don’t dissolve, ” said Tom as be placed the caudron back on the table.

Walking through the eaten door way, around the puddle of melted door, and potion mixture they walked into yet another room. This one had a mirror in the back of it. But between the door and the mirror was two sets of columns lining the walls, between each column stood a set of armor one on the right were black suits of armor, and on the left white. As they stepped into the room the armor stood at attention. While a fire pit in the middle of the room lit itself and smoke began to pour from it, forming words.

_ Pick your side _

_ For none can hide  _

_ The battle must be won _

_ This is no game of fun _

_ To get to the prize _

_ You must be wise _

“Not another riddle?” Harry exclaimed.

“This is very straightforward, we have to pick a set and battle the other to get to the mirror, which no doubt holds the key to getting the stone... In chess white goes first, but this isn’t chess and I am as dark as one can get, I choose Black!”

As the suits of armor battled in the middle of the floor, cutting each other apart, sending pieces of armor tumbling around the ground. Tom and Harry tried to get around the makeshift battlefield only to be held at sword or spear point when they tried, the suits backed off when the pair did, only stopping them when they tried to get around to the mirror. Finally there were just two suits of armor left, the white one had no head was also missing part of one arm, while the black one had one foot missing and the chest part caved in from a vicious hit. They swung at each other, until the black armor gave one last blow cutting the other suit of armor right down the middle before clasping in a heap itself.

Stepping around the mangled metal Harry and Tom made their way to the mirror now that they could get to it without fear of being sliced to pieces.

“This is the Mirror of Erised, I found it in an abandoned classroom just after Christmas Hols. Dumbledore told me how it works, it shows you your greatest desire. He said that men had wasted away in front of it, but from what I now know about him I don’t know how much I trust what he said about it.”

“He didn’t lie about men wasting away, they have. Longing for what they can’t have, seeing it so close and not having it drives some people mad.” 

“So why is it here? Dumbledore said it was leaving the school, what use would it be here?” Asked Harry as he avoided looking in the mirror.

“I’m not sure, I see myself getting the stone, but how can I get it. This is the last room, and I can’t see any doors to another room so this must be the end. Why do you look, maybe you will see something that will help.”

Before when Harry first looked into the mirror he had seen the family he should have had, the one he had always longed for, one that loved him and wanted him. He didn’t want to look into it again, he didn’t want to see what he knew he could never have. Knowing now why they died, how, and the good they wanted to achieve made him want to look into the mirror, yet he knew that they would still be gone. 

Looking into the mirror Harry saw his parents just like he knew he would, but this time mixed in with the family that he didn’t know, was Tom and Fenrir and others that didn’t look, and yet did look familiar. Then it changed again, soon as the others faded away only himself and Tom remained. He then saw himself giving over a blood red stone, he knew was the Sorcerer's Stone, to Tom. As he saw himself give Tom the Stone he felt something in his hand. Looking down at his open hand was a red stone.

“Look,” Harry said as the lifted his hand up to Tom. “It’s the stone!”

HP/FG-TW

As the noise got closer Fenrir peeked from behind the tree, he could see the leaves of the plants moving but he couldn’t see a person or animal that should have been making them move. Stretching his muscles out he moved to either attack or run, depending on what it was that was nearing closer to him, Nagini hot on his heels waiting for her master’s return or to attack as she knew that her master’s enemies were near.

“He should be near.”

“But what if he left, we did take along time. He might have left when he didn’t come back before dawn.”

“No I don’t think so. I think Fenrir is still around here somewhere. He should have waited for us to return... He has been very loyal, I doubt he would have left now of all times,” said Tom.

“What if Dumbledore or Hagrid found him?” Asked Harry.

“He knows who to take care of himself, he is a match for them.”

Recognizing the voices he came out from behind the tree, and walked right into something he couldn’t see.

“Fenrir, there you are. We were wondering where you had gone off to,” said Tom as he pulled the invisibility cloak off of himself and Harry.

“Sorry,” Fenrir said as he got up from off of Harry, having fallen on top of him after running into him. Fenrir felt awful about falling on top of Harry, they weren't getting off to a good start. He had wanted to give his future Mate nothing to complain about, involving him anyway. Once he got off of Harry he pulled Harry up off the ground as well. “Did you get it my Lord?”

  
“Yes we did now we should go, before Dumbledore realizes it’s gone,” he said as Nagini curled around his waist with her head resting on his chest, Tom saw Harry’s eyes widen and it looked like he was going to panic. “Calm down Harry, this is my familiar Nagini.”

“Oh, **_Hello Nagini_** _.”_

_ “ _ **_He speaks_ ** _ ,” _ Nagini hissed out surprised when the small boy spoke to her.

“ **_Yes, he does, probably because do to the connection we have. Either way he’s coming with us_ ** _.” _

_ “ _ **_Oh, alright_ ** _ ,” _ she said as she settled back down and tightened in preparation to leave.

”Ready?” Asked Fenrir as he moved closer to Tom and Harry.

“Wait! Hedwig?” As Harry called out and the snow white owl that Fenrir had seen earlier flew down and onto Harry’s outstretched arm.

“Good, we should go now, it’s too light out for us to linger here long.”

“Hold on tight, I think I should be able to side-apparate both of you, and the owl.” Fenrir gripped both Harry and Tom by the arm. “Now you, don’t you panic, it won’t be pleasant, but you need to stay still and calm,” Fenrir said to Harry, Nagini, and Hedwig, who both nodded to him while Nagini ignored him but appeared to tighten around Tom. With a loud pop they were gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone, i hope everyone had a happy easter... my heart goes out to everyone affected by the tragedy that struck Sri Lanka and Paris with the destruction of Notre Dame

The world twisted and turned, pushing and pulling at the same time, in all directions, at one point Harry felt like he wasn't whole anymore, like large pieces of him were missing. The squeezing sensation seemed to last forever, that was until he hit the ground. Turning over Harry started retching up what was left of his dinner from the night before, nauseous after experiencing apparition for the first time. 

“Bloody Hell! What in the world was that?” Asked Harry once he stopped throwing up, and caught his breath, spittle running down is chin and sweat gathering on his face.

“That was apparition. It’s a magical method of traveling, that takes one from one place to another instantaneously.” 

Looking up at the new voice Harry found himself looking up at a man that looked a lot like Draco. He had the same pale hair and skin, silvery grey eyes, and most importantly an air of self important arrogance. 

“Though what you did is actually called side-apparition, which is where someone appartites you along with them. It’s said to be more painful and nauseating than personal apparition,” said the man in a voice that left little room for argument.

Harry stumbled to his feet, the world dangerously swaying around him.

“Tom! You’ve returned,” the man cried out as he looked at Tom.

“It has been a while, Lucius. It’s good you haven’t forgotten me, your son was invaluable to me the other night.”

“Draco, My Lord?” Asked the man that had now been confurmed as Draco’s father.

“Yes Lucius. Your son and Mr. Potter here had detention in the Forbidden Forest the other night and came across me and Fenrir speaking. He stopped Harry from running away and helped keep Dumbledore and the other teachers from finding us while we took the spells and potions that had been placed on Harry off. It seems Dumbledore has been up to no good again. While sending first years into such a dangerous forest is bad enough, he placed so many dark and dangerous spells and potions on such a young child, if Harry didn’t have such strong magic he would surely be dead. In fact I would bet that if we hadn't taken them off he would have been dead within a year or so from the strain it was putting on his mind and magic... Now, we have much to do. Myself as well as Harry and Fenrir will be staying with you for a while as I have Slytherin Manor repaired. I wanted to repair it before the attack, but I never got the chance. Now that I finally can I will, until then I hope you will allow us to stay and sort a few things out.”

“Of course My Lord, the pleasure is mine. You may all have any of the guest suits you wish. TIFFY! She will show you to the third floor guest wing.”

“What’s that!?” Harry exclaimed at the house elf’s sudden appearance, his eyes as big as the floppy eared creature before him.

“That is a house elf, Mr. Potter. They serve wizarding families. Haven’t you even seen one?” Asked Lucius, who raised an eyebrow to show that he was unimpressed at Harry’s lack of decorum and basic knowledge.

“No, I grew up with muggles. We don’t have such things.” Harry despite knowing it was rude, couldn’t help but stare at the floppy eared, large eyed being in front of him.

“What can Tiffy be doing for Master?” Asked the house elf in a high squeaky voice.

“Show these guests to the third floor guest wing. Left them have any room they choose, and let the other know we have guests.”

“Tiffy be doing what Master wishes. Come follow Tiffy,” said the house elf as she walked towards the nearest stairs that would take them to the appropriate floor.

“Lucius,” Tom said before turning to follow the house elf. “You will want to write a letter to your son explaining the situation. And before you ask Harry will be staying with me. He is under my protection, once they joined James and Lily were two of my best people, like family, alongside yourself if you remember. Harry should have been raised here with us, along with Draco. As that didn’t happen I will attempt to correct that mistake.” 

He then turned and followed the other three as they headed up the large, grand, main staircase. “Oh, we stayed up most of the night, and are in much need of a good amount of sleep, and so you won't see us until dinner or even later.”

Lucius watched them as they made their way to the third floor, if he had been anyone else but a Malfoy he would have broken out in cheers, and maybe have done a small dance in joy. But being a Malfoy they didn’t permit such things, he did however break into a large grin and headed straight for his wife. He might not have loved her like he was supposed to a wife, but she was his best friend. So when his father refused to allow him to marry his lover, let alone a man, he was happy to marry someone who knew that his heart belonged to another. She had happily agreed that they only need share a bed until they had successfully conceived an heir. After that, and the birth of said heir they had moved on to their respective lovers Lucius with Severus, and Narcissa with her own string of lovers.

They had planned on getting divorced after Draco was five but only to realize that Lucius’s father had made their marriage contract unbreakable, unless they couldn’t conceive a male heir to carry on the Malfoy name, which by that time they found out they had already done the only thing that could have ended their marriage. Once again their friendship came in handy, while they would never love each other in that way, they could live the rest of their lives together easily. Finally tracking down his wife in the informal lounge he told her the good news.

“He’s really back?”

“Yes, Cissa. And somehow he brought Harry Potter with him.”

“Severus will be so happy! He has missed Harry all these years. He not only lost his Lord, one of his best friends, but sister, brother, and godchild all in one night. Remember how long he searched of Harry after words, he even collapsed from exhaustion that one time... No matter what he did he couldn’t find poor Harry. Now he has a chance to be in Harry’s life again, to be his godfather.” 

Cissa was beside herself with the good news, now that her Lord, even friend, had returned he would make their world what they had always wished it would be.

HP/FG-TW

“Here be the guest rooms, Master say you can have whatever ones you be wanting. If you’s be needing anything just call for Tiffy.” POP and she was gone.

“Are all house elves like that?” Asked Harry now that she was gone unsure what to think of the house elf.

“Yes they are. Now we should pick our rooms.,” answered Tom as he turned and opened the nearest door. It opened up to a smaller room with a full bed in the middle and large bay windows along the outerwall. Deciding that this wasn’t a good room Tom moved on to the next door, this one lead to a larger room than the last. It had the same bay windows as the last, with a pair of french doors that had a small balcony just beyond them. The room itself was filled with a large queen sized bed, a dark wooden wardrobe covered with carvings, and a collection of bookshelves that covered most of one wall.

“I believe that I will take this room. It appears to be in proper order,” Tom said, which to Harry it sounded like he had liked the room, but wouldn’t admit that that’s why he chose it.

As Tom went in the room he had chosen with Nagini, Harry and Fenrir moved down the hall to find their own rooms.

Fenrir found his room quickly, he simply opened the next door, took one look around and went in. Before he shut the door, he took a long look at Harry as if he would disappear if he looked away from him.

“Get some sleep, you need it,” and Fenrir shut the door.

_ That was strange,  _ thought Harry as he moved to yet another door. This room was small, but not as small as the first. It had a four poster full bed, the same set of bay windows that gave you the feeling like you were looking at the same room over and over. This room had a small desk and bookshelf next to it, both done in dark wood along with the rest of the wood in the room. The walls were a dark silver, with green accents scattered around the room.  _ This is nice,  _ Harry decided.  _ I always did like green.  _

Looking around he also found a wardrobe, done it the same dark colored wood as the rest of the room, and a door leading to a personal bathroom which was done in green with silver accents. A huge claw foot bath tub big enough to fit at least three fully grown men sat in the middle, a rack of bath products, some of which Harry couldn’t even begin guess what they were for. As much as he wanted to bathe he wanted to sleep more. Pulling off the school robe he was wearing he clasped on the bed, not even bothering to get underdressed, or get under the covers. Within seconds Harry was sleeping soundly and snoring away.

HP/FG-TW

Mail usually came in the mornings, how it all got there at the same time when it was delivered by owls, nobody knew. Some guessed the owls were held there until it was mailtime, and only then were you allowed to get your mail, others said that that was ridiculous reasoning, but had no other way to explain it. Though sometimes people did get mail at other times of the day. Draco Malfoy was one such person that had gotten a letter outside of mail time at breakfast. During tat night’s dinner one of the obviously Malfoy eagle owl’s dropped a letter right into his lap, not bothering to go directly to Draco, but drop it from midair and kept going not even slowing down as it dropped its delivery.

Draco lifted the letter and read the small note that was on the outside.

_ Wait to read, do not open in public. _

“What does that mean Draco? Who’s that from?” Asked Pansy, who was once again pushed up against him. Just because their parents were considering a marriage contract between them didn’t mean he wanted anything to do with her. Sure she wasn’t the prettiest girl but she was too clingy and annoying that those things alone made Draco cringing when she got close to him. It didn’t help that beside the fact that that he was too young to be thinking such things about anyone, he was almost positive he was gay. At least as positive he could be at the age of eleven and with no experience, or a sure way to tell he was.

“It’s from my father, I think. And it means what it says it does, to not read this in public. So when I’m done with dinner, I’m going to go and read this.”

Draco got up has he was almost done with his own dinner and hurried out of the hall. He headed back to his room in the Slytherin dorm.

_ Dear Draco, _

_ It has come to my attention that you have added our Lord in an endeavor of his. I am so proud of you, and our Lord is pleased with your assistance as well.  _

_ As it is, it is now time to tell you a well guarded secret, fear not of others learning it from this letter, for this paper is spelled to only allow you to read it. _

_ The other night when you helped our Lord no doubt you expected him to kill Harry Potter as he has wished to do for years. This is a lie. James and Lily Potter defected to our side over a year before Harry was born, so our Lord has no reason to want him dead, it is Dumbledore that killed the Potters and has tried to kill Harry and our Lord. In fact Severus is Harry’s godfather, just as he is yours. Our Lord has plans to now give him the upbringing he would have had, similar to the one I gave you.  _

_ Let no one find this information out. It is only at the Dark Lord’s orders that I give you this information. Not that you shouldn’t have it, but I worry for the safety of our Lord, and how it will affect you.  _

_ Dumbledore has and will stop at nothing to stop us and our Lord. Be extra careful and keep your eyes open and report anything you find strange that is going on in the castle to me or Severus so we can pass on the information. _

_ Love Father _

_ P.S. don’t worry about Severus being Harry Potter’s godfather. He loves you like the son you are to him, it won’t change just because he can now be a godfather to Harry. I will also be sending a letter to Severus as well, so you can go talk to him if you want to. _

“Merlin’s hairy balls!” 

It was a good thing Draco had sat on his bed before reading his father’s letter, for he fainted just as soon as he finished reading it.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been days since Harry, Tom and Fenrir had arrived at the grand and lavish Malfoy Manor. Upon waking just in time for dinner, Harry had been told that for a few days he would more or less have to entertain himself. Besides Tom, having enlisted half of the Manor house elves to go to Slytherin manor to fix, repair, and make sure that the ancient manor was livable once again. He had then sent for Severus Snape the next day, so he could make the many potions for Tom to get back to his former, healthy and powerful self. Not including the Elixir of Life which would be made from the Sorcerer's Stone. 

Except for when Severus had first showed up at the Manor, while Harry wanted to see Snape’s reaction to his being there. Harry stayed away for the most part, mainly hanging about in the library, reading anything that he could find that seemed interesting. 

Tom had explained to him that Severus was his godfather and anything he did, he had done because he was under the careful watch of Dumbledore and didn’t want the man to twig that anything was off. And that when Severus had been named Harry’s godfather he had been over the moon with joy, James and Lily being like his brother and sister in all but blood. Which brought Tom to explain that Severus and Lucius were together, despite Lucius being married to Narcissa. That no matter how much Narcissa and Lucius each wanted to get divorced they couldn’t because of the marriage contract that they were both under. The whole situation baffled Harry to no end, but after many books, and long searches in the manor library he had a better understanding of the situation, but even if after all that it still didn’t make much sense to him but supposed it was something he might understand when he was older.

More days passed, and a constant pattern had developed. Get up, shower, dress, breakfast, library, lunch, library, dinner, back to his room with books from the library, bed, and then after some sleep the whole thing started all over again. Harry did sometimes talk with Mrs. Malfoy, who insisted he call her Narcissa, but that was few and far between. And Fenrir, though he didn’t talk to Harry very much, but he did hang around the library when Harry was there and did so close to where Harry was. Every once and a while he would also see Nagini and chat with her but she was very preoccupied with hunting for her food or very warm places to relax and sleep.

It was on one such day where Harry had been reading a particularly long book and thought he heard Fenrir come into the library. As Fenrir didn’t speak much, Harry didn’t bother to look and see if it was him, it wasn’t.

“Mary Worthright’s  _ Complete Companion to Basic and Complicated Rituals and Traditions,  _ a good book, dry at times, but good. A good choice for you to be reading, you should learn everything you can about our sacred traditions and rituals.” 

“Mr. Malfoy,” Harry managed to get out without stuttering, having been spooked at the unexpected interruption. “Tom mentioned something about traditions before, and some of the other books I’ve read mentioned things about both traditions and rituals as well, so I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to read some books on it. This is the the one I chose to read first. Was there something you needed from me Mr. Malfoy?”

“The Dark Lord, sorry Tom, has asked me to find you and asked that you join him in the temporary office he has made in one of the smaller sitting rooms, as soon as possible. It’s in the same hallway as the dining room, the dark red door on the opposite wall from the dining room three doors down. It you have any trouble finding it just call for Glizzy.”

“Thank you Mr. Malfoy. I’ll just put this away than get going.” 

“Why don’t you take it with you? I know he wants you to read some books, I am sure he will want to talk to you about that book, and any others he thinks you should read,” Lucius suggested as he turned and left the Library.

Tucking the thick book under his arm Harry set off to the hallway that led to the dining room, following Mr. Malfoy’s instructions Harry soon found himself in front of the only dark red door in the whole hallway, but he wasn’t sure if he should knock or not. Sure Tom was also the Dark Lord Voldemort, and that should have scared Harry but it didn’t. Harry trusted Tom with his life, and now knew the truth, that he hadn’t and never would hurt Harry. Deciding it was better to knock and feel foolish, than to not knock at all and possibly have Tom be mad at him for being rude, Harry knocked on the door and waited.

“Come in,” called a muffled voice from inside.

“Oh, I hadn’t expected Lucius to find you so soon. Take a seat and wait while I finish this.” Tom gestured to the side of the room where a small sofa and a few chairs were sitting around a coffee table in front of a fireplace.

After sitting down Harry waited for a few minutes, as Tom wrote away at the desk he was using. As it seemed like Tom would take a few minutes Harry opened the book back to where he was and started to read some more while he waited.

“I didn’t think I would take that long, what are you reading?” Asked Tom as he sat down on the chair next to the one Harry was sitting in.

“ _ Complete Companion to Basic and Complicated Rituals and Traditions,  _ Mr. Malfoy said that it was a good choice. I decided to read it after having read things about rituals and traditions in other books, besides you mentioned something about it earlier. Speaking of Mr. Malfoy he was acting weird, he started to say Dark Lord, then he said sorry and switched to Tom.” Harry took a good look at Tom after seeing him for the first time in days, he no longer looked like he needed a lot to eat. He did look a little skinny but his bones no longer stood out from his skin, and he looked much healthier overall. His skin wasn’t as deathly pale, his hair wasn’t a matted mess, but luscious dark locks, and with him now standing to his full height of over six feet, he had an air of power about him.

“I never really bothered to think about it before but I don’t want them calling me that. We were all friends, for the most part, and I want them to call me by my name again... Anyway, well that’s one book you can cross off this list of books that I think you would do well to read, right now it’s only a partial list, long but not complete, as I haven’t had much time to write it.” Tom handed over a rolled up piece of parchment. 

_ Proper Pureblood Equitique _

_ Pureblood Lord and Heir Diaries of the Potter, Slytherin, and Malfoy Lines _

_ Complete Companion to Basic and Complicated Rituals and Traditions _

_ The Social Structure of The Wizarding World _

_ Structure of the Wizgamont _

_ Basic Guide to Wizarding Law _

_ Dark Arts - A Guide to Understanding _

_ Darks Arts - vol 1 - 14 _

_ The Lighter Spells of Dark Magic _

_ The Darker Spells Of Light Magic _

_ Neutral Arts _

_ How to Create Your Own Spells _

_ Beginners Guide to Ancient Runes _

_ Beginners Guide to Arithmancy _

_ Light, Dark, and Neutral Art’s and Magic’s and the Differences Between Them _

_ Basic Healing Spells, Potions, and Rituals _

_ Beginners Guide to Learning Latin _

_ Beginners Guide to Learning French _

“Oh, I have  _ Neutral Arts  _ in up my room. I was planning to read it after I finished reading this one,” said Harry as he looked over the list.

“Well that’s another book that you can cross off the list. I also have a few books in Parseltongue I want you to read eventually, but you might not be able to read those yet. Speaking Parseltongue is easy, reading however is much harder, and it tends to hurt your eyes when you first try to read it. I would also like you to continue learning the classes that you started at Hogwarts, even though you are no longer at Hogwarts you need to learn the core classes, they are the foundation that you need to properly learn all magic. 

“As for the Diaries I have a few from the Slytherin line, my family, and I know there are a lot of them here in the manor from the Malfoy family. I wanted to talk to you about some other things as well. One here are a few potions I’ve had made especially for you, this is a case of nutrient potions for you to take once a day for a few weeks. They should get you to a healthy weight, size and help with your overall health. This one is a eye correction potion, take it before you go to bed tonight and by the morning you will no longer need glasses, unless your eyes become damaged by something like fire or, something you won't need glasses ever again. And this last one is the more important, and I really want you to think about this. This is a blood adoption potion. 

“Blood adoption potions are used mainly by purebloods to adopt a person into their family, someone who has no familial blood to the family. I would like to adopt you, it’s the least I can do, I owe it to you and your parents. Now don’t think that that’s the only reason I want to do it, I would have adopted you if I had had the chance when this whole mess started and now that I can, I still want to. Not to mention that I need a way to disguise you, and keep you from Dumbledore and the Light side. They would put all of those spells and potions back on you and it’s a miracle that they didn’t kill you when they were on you the first time, I have no doubt that they would definitely kill you if they get a chance to do so a second time around. Now I want you to take all the time you need to think on this, and if you want to talk to me or ask me anything just come and find me or ask a house elf where I am. I’ll hold on to the potion, it’s very rare and hard to make. So if you do decide to allow me to adopt you, just come to me and will talk everything over before you take it.”

Stunned Harry simply nodded and left the room, with the case of shrunk potions, he wandered aimlessly around the manor lost in thought.

“He wants to adopt me,” Harry said out loud to himself in wonder. Harry had wished for nothing else for years. For someone, he had hoped his parents, to come and take him away from the Dursleys. Anyone to save him.

HP/FG-TW

Two days later and Harry still didn’t know what to do, after getting more than enough headaches he decided to make a list of pro’s and con’s to try and help him make up his mind. Harry so badly wanted to just say yes, but he didn’t want to rush into things, and have something bad happen to make him regret his choice. 

_ Pro’s _

  * __I get a family__


  * _He wants me_


  * _He doesn’t lie to me_


  * _He tells me the truth_


  * _He can teach me so much_


  * _He wants to protect me_


  * _He won't hurt me_


  * _He might be my only chance at a family_


  * _He wants me to get healthy_


  * _He isn’t like the Dursley’s_


  * _He knew my parents_


  * _I can have a godfather because of Tom_



_ Con’s _

  * __I don’t really know him__


  * _He’s Voldemort_


  * _He might not really like me_


  * _He’s evil?_


  * _He might be lying to me_



Harry had made a few pro and con lists while at the Dursley’s most of them were about whether he should run away from them or not, a few were if he should tell people about how they treated him. Never before had a list ended up with so many pros. All of the other lists he had made had so many cons it wasn’t funny, and they made him worried to even consider doing anything either.

Even though Harry knew what his answer would be he was still apprehensive. The thing he wanted most in the world was right there in front of him, all he had to do was allow himself to have it.


	8. Chapter 8

In the end all the lists and all the thinking for hours on end didn’t matter in the slightest. After waking up from a night full of dreams Harry couldn’t delay his choice anymore. He had been having the same dream over and over for days about how his life would be like once he said yes. The allure of having a family, a father, everything he dreamed of, even when he wasn’t sleeping, was more than he could stand. 

Getting dressed in his some spare clothes of Draco’s, ones that had been outgrown by Draco months before he even left for school, Harry headed to the dining room for breakfast. He hoped to catch Tom there so he could talk to him. The rest of his clothes from the Dursley’s having been destroyed just after he arrived at the manor, they were bad to Harry, but to Tom and the Malfoy’s they were nothing better than garbage, not fit for rags and certainly not for clothes. So they had taken everything thing that wasn’t even fit to be called garbage and got rid of them, with the promise of getting a full and proper wardrobe, that would be all his own, as soon as possible. When he got to the dining room, only Lucius remained at the table, deep in the middle of reading the day's Daily Prophet. 

“Tiffy?” Harry called.

“Yes, Master Harry.”

“Can you get me some eggs and toast, with some fresh fruit for breakfast?”

“Of course Master Harry, it will be Tiffy’s pleasure to get you your breakfast.” Tiffy bounced on her feet twice before popping away, then returning less than a minute later. A large plate full of fried eggs, a small tower of heavily buttered toast, and what seemed like a market’s worth of all kinds of fruit. Bright green sliced kiwi, deep black juicy cherries, red strawberries, slices of both green and red apples, thick slices of pink watermelon, bunches of big red and green grapes, and chunks of golden yellow pineapple.

“Thank you Tiffy, it all looks so delicious, but I don’t know if I will be able to finish even half of this,” Harry tried to explain politely, having been subjected to what house elves tended to do when they got upset.

“Tiffy be knowing Master Harry, but Master Harry been eating a little more each day now that he be taking nutrient potion. Master Harry just eat as much as he can.” And she popped away, no doubt to clean his room, as she did it right after he left to eat breakfast.

“You look determined this morning,” drawled Severus, in his usual snarky voice as he walked into the room.

“I am,” Harry replied after swallowing the bite he had just taken and almost choked on due to Severus’s sudden appearance.

“Does that mean you made up your mind,  _ finally _ ?” Severus asked in his usual snarky manner as he kissed Lucius on the cheek, before sitting down in the chair next to him. It was good to know that it wasn’t just Harry that Severus surprised, Lucius was so focused on the paper he jumped when Severus kissed him. Not that Lucius would admit it, or allow anyone else to even think of mentioning him doing something so undignified.

“Oh, good morning love,” Lucius said trying to hide his embarrassment at being caught unawares. “Good morning to you as well Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, to you as well.” Harry had gotten used to Severus’s snarky and dry humor over the past few weeks. Severus had taken to finally getting to be Harry’s godfather like a fish to water, as he wished he could have been doing for the past decade. Well he still worked and spied at Hogwarts, he came to the manor every chance he got, which he did anyway. It was so easy for Harry, especially when he lived with them, to see how much the couple in front of him loved each other. 

When Severus had first been apprised of the return of his Lord and of his godson to their true side of the war he apologized to Harry and was grateful that Harry understood why he had to act they way he did and Harry apologized as well for how he acted under Dumbledore’s spells. Now that they were able to be themselves with each other they got on rather well.

“Good, now don’t mention this but, I happen to know that our Lord’s been going out of his mind with worry while waiting for you to make your choice,” Lucius mentioned oh so casually as he folded the paper, and reached out of hold Severus’s hand that was laid out on the table.

“I didn’t know,” Harry replied softly, eyes down cast. “But I had to think about it, no matter how much time it took. I know what my heart wanted from the moment he asked, but I needed to be sure that I was going to be making the right choice. I knew there would be no going back on my choice once I’d made it.”

“Well it’s good you have properly thought about it. Hopefully you will have made the right choice.” Severus then turned away and started talking with Lucius while he ate is full English Breakfast, and drank what was most likely his fifth cup of black coffee. The man had a serious love for his coffee and beware anyone who tried to get between him and a cup, especially his first cup in the morning.

Tiffy had been right about Harry’s eating habits, he had been eating more each day. Not much more, a bite or two more each day, but he was eating well, and gaining the proper type of weight he desperately needed. Harry ate as much of his breakfast as he could, but even with his hardest try he could barely finish off a third of it, let alone half of it. He did sneak a few more cherries, and grapes before his stomach seriously was protesting and he left to go to Tom’s temporary office, the fruit filling his already full belly until it felt like he was going to burst.

Practically waddling with his stomach so over full, he felt like a stuffed turkey, Harry made his way down the hall to Tom’s office. 

It was a good thing Harry had already eaten because he was suddenly nauseous with worry. Knocking on the door, Harry fidgeted out in the hall waiting to be let in. 

The door opened and for the first time in days Harry was face to face with Tom. Though he didn’t look like the Tom he was used to seeing, the Tom he was used to seeing looked older than anyone Harry had ever seen, and looked frail. This Tom however, this Tom looked young, like he was in his mid thirties. Tall, handsome, dark hair and piercing eyes, but above all powerful, strong, healthy. This Tom Harry could see being a ruler, but even though they were hard to see, he had slight circles under his eyes and he looked a little worn out. Harry knew that Lucius had been right, that Tom was worried about what Harry would choose.

“Harry... do come in.”

Harry walked into the office, face filled with bewilderment, and sat down on one of the chairs that was off to the side, Tom shutting the door behind them.

“You look so different... When did you take it, the elixir?”

“Two days ago, I was hoping you would be there, but I didn’t want you to feel pressured.”

“I’ve made my decision,” Harry blurted out as Tom went to sit in a nearby chair.

“I see. And what have you decided?” Tom asked as he tried not to get his hopes up.

“I knew what I would choose from the moment you told me you wanted to adopt me, but I didn’t want to answer right away. As I told Severus and Lucius this morning I needed to think about it, I wouldn’t be able to change my mind later, I had to know for sure. And now I do. The answer is yes.”

“We have so much to do, I have so much to explain, we must be prepared. We need to go to Gringotts, have them perform some tests, make sure everything's in order. See what you are set to inherit, so much to do... Why wasn’t I getting prepared for this?” Tom asked himself in exasperation as he gathered up papers and seemed to move like a tornado over his desk.

“Is everything alright?” Asked Harry timidly from his chair, having not expected the sudden flurry of activity.

“Yes, yes, there's just so much to do. So much I need to tell you before you can take the potion. When you take the potion it changes who you are. It takes the blood of the person or persons who are adopting you and it adds their blood to yours making them at least partly, your biological parent. It doesn't change who your parents are, it gives you more than just the two you were born to. When you take it, it will change your body to add in features from your new parent. Like with your mother she gave you your pale skin, and green eyes, and from your father his eyesight and dark messy hair. From me you could get any number of things, if you hadn't already had the ability to speak Parseltongue you might have gotten that from me. It’s only after you take the potion will we know how your appearance will change. Hopefully your features will change enough so you won’t be recognized as Harry Potter.

“And it won’t be just looks you will get from me, by me adopting you, you will become an heir of Slytherin. Like now you are the Potter heir, and possibly heir to other families, that’s why we must go to Gringotts. The goblins have the best family records and tests, they dislike people stealing so they make sure they have the best and most accurate everything.

“As heir to any Ancient and Noble house you will have many family vaults, some with money but most will be filled with priceless heirlooms, books, jewels, any number of precious items. You will also have seats and votes in the Wizgamont, meaning you will have the power to change the laws of the wizarding world, but you won’t have to worry about any of that now. I would like to know what you have to inherit so that when the time comes we will be prepared, so that you will know what to do in the future.”

“So what do we do now?” Asked Harry, who was completely overwhelmed by the onslaught of new information.

“Well we can’t go to Gringotts until after you’ve taken the potion, it’s too risky for you to go out in public while you are still Harry Potter. And you need to be healthier. You have made great improvements, but the potion changes every piece of you, it will change your bones, looks, and much more. If you're not healthy enough it could do damage to your body. In a few days, after you’ve taken some more nutrient potions, I’ll have Lucius call his personal healer to come and give you a check up. I wanted to have a healer examin you anyways make sure there aren't any other health problems, so we can go ahead with our plans, and you can take the potion. I see you’ve taken the eye correction potion. “

“Yeah I took it the night you gave it to me. Having glasses is a pain, they’ve always gotten in the way, with how much they break. And when they do I can’t see anything, something my family had laughed over. My cousin always took every chance he had to break my glasses, then beat me up, sometimes he would just let me walk around and see what I would walk into. No one ever helped, and if it seemed like someone would, my caring family would take care of that. They made sure I knew that a freak doesn't deserve help.” Harry looked down at his hands which were tightly grasped together to stop them from shaking.

“After you take the blood adoption potion no one can ever send you back to them, never. And if by some chance you were, I would get you back, no matter how hard it would be,” Tom reassured harry as he moved to the other side of his desk and gave Harry a brief hug. He knew how Harry was feeling, he had had a horrible life in the orphanage, before and after he had learned of magic and Hogwarts. Knowing how cruel children, and adults could be when they thought you were a freak Tom wasn’t surprised by the information Harry just shared, not that he was happy about it. In fact it just gave him more reason to want to permanently harm the Dursley’s.

HP/FG-TW

Harry sighed dramatically as he put down the same book for the eighth time that hour. He was too anxious to relax enough to read the book, he had been trying to read it for the past day with no luck. It was one of the books from the list Tom had given him,  _ Lighter Spells of the Dark Arts.  _ With all the time he had, Harry had already read almost half of the books on the list. But at the moment, while he did want to read the book, he simply couldn’t. In less than an hour Healer Langdon would be coming to give Harry his second check up, the first having been over a week ago. At the first appointment Healer Langdon had found over a dozen improperly healed breaks and fractures all over his body, which needed to be rebroken and correctly healed. It was painful but after it was done his body didn’t ache like it used to, all the improperly healed breaks hurting him each day.

Now Healer Langdon was coming back to make sure it was ok for Harry to finally take the blood adoption potion that night. It was best to take the potion, along with a powerful sleeping potion, just before bed so that the transformation was as painless as possible.

Which was why Harry was a bundle of nerves, if the Healer cleared him he could go ahead and take the potion and be a new person. And if the Healer didn’t clear him he would have to wait longer.

Reaching back over to the table Harry picked the book backup and continued from where he left off. 

Not even two minutes later he closed the book again, he had reread the same page and still didn’t understand what it was saying.

“Tiffy.”

POP

“Tiffy, be here Master Harry. What be Master Harry be wanting from Tiffy?”

“Can you take this book up to my room, just put it on the desk.”

“Tiffy be doing what you ask.”

“Thank you,” said Harry as Tiffy popped away. As Tiffy left Harry got up and left the library and headed to Tom’s office.

Once Harry got there he was so lost in thought he had forgotten to knock on the door and simply walked in.

“Harry?” Asked Tom, who was startled by the sudden intrusion.

“What?!... Oh, sorry, I guess I forgot to knock,” Harry was so embarrassed at having simply walked in.

“It’s ok, are you alright? You seem troubled?”

“I’m just nervous for Healer Langdon’s visit.” 

“It will be fine, you have been doing well, in the last month you’ve gained two centimeters in height, and half a stone. I’m sure the Healer will clear you, and you will be able to take the potion tonight,” Tom said trying to reassure Harry.

“I’m not just worried about that, I know that once he clears me I will be able to take the potion, and that makes me worried too.”

“Well why don’t we talk about something. I have something I need to talk to you about before you take the potion anyway,” Tom said as he moved from his desk to the sofa, pulling Harry along with him. “After you take the potion you will no longer be Harry Potter, and as such you will need a new name. And while I would like your new name to reflect the one your parents gave you, it’s not possible. If there was anything familiar about it Dumbledore or someone else, they could discover that you were Harry Potter. So I have been thinking it over since we came to Malfoy manor. As I am heir of the Slytherin line I wanted to give you a name that would be special, and do me proud. I was thinking Nathair Calder Slytherin, but the Slytherin would be private, we wouldn’t want anyone to be suspicious. So for that reason you can’t take my real last name, so I came up with the next best thing, Tomson.”

“I like it,” Harry said as he looked up at Tom, both of their eyes shining with happiness.


	9. Chapter 9

“Harry are you ready?” Tom asked as he walked into Harry’s bedroom.

“Almost, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Tom sat the two potion vials he had with him on the bedside table as he waited for Harry to come out of the bathroom, and get into bed. One was the adoption potion, the other was an extremely strong sleeping potion.

“I guess it’s time,” Harry whispered as he came out of the bathroom, his pyjamas dragging behind him on the floor. “Why do I have to wear these, their way to big.”

“You might grow a lot after you take the potion, so you are wearing bigger pyjamas just in case. Cause if you do grow and you were wearing your regular pyjamas they could rip and fall apart while you grow, leaving you naked, or they could not rip and cut off your circulation hurting you, possibly even killing you. Come get into bed, when you take the sleeping potion it will take immediate effect.”

As Harry crawled onto the bed Tom pulled the covers over him, much like a parent tucking in their child.

“Here, take this one first. It’s the adoption potion, then quickly take the sleeping potion. Blood adoption potions can be painful.”

Harry took the adoption potion for Tom, drinking it in one gulp. However, he didn’t drink the sleeping potion fast enough, as he took the next potion from Tom. Harry was racked by a tremor of pain that caused him to scream at the top of his lungs. His hand shook with pain causing the sleeping potion vial to crash to the floor, breaking and sending the potion and glass flying in all directions.

“Harry, calm down. Just try to breathe, I’ll get another potion.  **Accio sleeping potion** .”

The potion came flying into Tom’s open hand after a minute, and Tom quickly opened the potion and held it unsure what to do now that Harry was convulsing in pain. Unable for Harry to take and drink it himself Tom waited until he screamed again and poured the potion into Harry’s open mouth. Sputtering, Harry started to choke on the potion, coughing up drops of the potion. Tom took and closed Harry’s mouth, massaging his throat to help Harry swallow as much of the potion as he could. The potion worked just as fast as Tom had warned Harry, and Harry was asleep seconds later the convulsing, coughing, and the screaming stopped as Harry settled into a peaceful sleep.

HP/FG-TW

Harry threw his arm over his stomach as he turned over onto his side as he turned away from the strong morning light that was streaming in through the large set of bay windows. As Harry snuggled into the warm covers he felt a twinge in his bladder, warning him to either get up and go to the bathroom or have an unpleasant wake-up call. Throwing the covers off of himself, Harry threw his legs over the side of the bed, only to unexpectedly slam his feet against the floor. Groaning in pain, Harry stood up and started walking to his bathroom, after a few steps he started to sway. Crashing into the wall next to the door Harry grasped at the door frame trying to keep himself upright.

“Tiffy!”

“Master Harry be-”

“Hurry, Tiffy get Tom,” Harry yelled at her, scared at what was happening to him.

“Tiffy be getting Master Tom.” Tiffy popped away, returning a few seconds later with Tom, in his pyjamas, a look of alarm on his still sleep-filled face.

“Harry is that you? What's wrong?” Asked Tom as he pulled away from Tiffy and reached out to help Harry.

“Yes, it’s me. Who else would it be? I don’t know, I feel so strange, I got up and started to walk to the bathroom and after a few steps my legs gave out and I started to fall.”

“Here give me your hand.” Tom took Harry’s hand and lead him away from the bathroom doorway. “It’s the potion, your body has changed that’s why you feel strange.”

“Wait, I need to go to the bathroom,” Harry said as Tom took him away from the bathroom.

Turning around Tom lead Harry into the bathroom and made sure he didn’t fall over as he went to the bathroom. Once he was done Tom walked him over to the sink.

“If you look in the mirror, I think you will see why you feel so odd.”

After he washed his hands Harry looked up at the mirror that sat on the wall over the sink. Startled by what he saw Harry jerked his head back and would have fallen on the floor if it wasn’t for Tom standing next to him. The person he saw in the mirror wasn’t the one he was used to seeing, though he did look familiar. He had the same dark hair, but this person’s hair was darker than his and much less messy. He also had green eyes though instead of the bright green ones he had, these were darker, more of olive green. Harry’s skin, over the years of being kept in the closet under the stairs when he wasn’t working, had left his skin an unhealthy pale. This person’s skin, on the other hand, was a luminously healthier pale, like freshly fallen snow. He was taller than Harry was too. When Harry stood next to Tom he came up to the mid stomach, this person was at least three or four inches taller than Harry. As Harry gazed at the person in the mirror he saw that this person was the perfect mix of Lily, James, and Tom. 

“Is this me?” Harry asked as he brought his hand up to his face, watching as the person in the mirror mirrored his actions.

“Yes, this is what I meant by changes. The potion has worked even better than I had hoped. I would say that unless anyone knows that both Lily and James, not to mention me, were your parents they wouldn’t be able to recognize you like Harry Potter. In fact, from now on, we need to call you Nathair, even try to think of yourself as Nathair. If we slip up even once and call you Harry in front of the wrong person everything could be destroyed, and you would be in more danger than ever. 

“Though I must say it was a good thing we waited to get you a new wardrobe, you’ve grown quite a bit, and not just in height. You did put on some weight before, but now you look perfectly healthy. I should get Healer Langdon to come to give you another check-up, just to see what the potion did and not just for your health. Until then why don’t you take a shower, while your showering I’ll enlarge a set of your clothes. Then we’ll go to Diagon Alley to get your clothes and visit Gringotts... Oh, how could I have so stupid to have forgotten something so important? We need to visit Gringotts now.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“I’d forgotten that now that you are no longer Harry Potter I’ll need to get you a birth certificate, and proof that you exist as my son. Without it, you’ll have more troubles trying to inherit anything. Well, we can take care of that when we get to Gringotts, now go on and get ready, and I’ll meet you in the dining room for breakfast. After we eat, then we can go to Diagon Alley.”

HP/FG-TW

As they finished their breakfast Lucius, Severus, Narcissa, and Draco, who had returned home for the summer two weeks before, bid them a good day as Tom side-apparated them to Diagon Alley. 

Draco had acted weird since he and Severus had returned to their home now that the school year was over. Draco while knowing how to act around Harry Potter had no idea how to act, or even talk to, Nathair. Sure he was respectful when he had to talk to Nathair, but otherwise, he stayed away. Nathair knew that it would be hard to go from enemies to anything remotely civilized towards each other. Thankfully Nathair had the long and important list of books to read which took up most of his time, as well as the personal lessons he was taking. Severus taught him potions, and herbology, like herbs and other plants were essential to potion-making. Lucius was giving him political lessons and lessons on how to be a lord of a magical family, as well as charms and transfiguration. Narcissa was in charge of all things etiquette, dancing, socializing, and many other things that would be important for him to know. Fenrir was teaching him about magical creatures, and history. Lastly, Tom, who Nathair was getting around to call father, was teaching him dark arts, defence, runes, and arithmancy, in the spare time he had. It was decided right after arriving at Malfoy manor that, at least for now, that Nathair would be tutored at home. Tom wanted in no way to send him back to Hogwarts, at least while Dumbledore and his supporters ruled the wizarding world and remained a strong presence in the school.

As they landed just beyond the opening from the Leaky Cauldron, where the apparition point was, Tom and Nathair made their way down the alley, but only after he got his bearings as his body change had left him unsure in his own skin, weaving in and out of the small crowd of shoppers that popped in and out of every store. As they walked past Ollivander's Nathair had a thought.

“Now that you’ve adopted me and I’m no longer... won’t I need a new wand? Not everyone will know it, but some of the Weasleys and Dumbledore know what it looks like.”

“So right,” Tom answered thoughtfully. “Before we leave we’ll pop in and get you a new wand. Even though you won’t be able to use your other one for a while keep it, you may have use of it someday. Now let’s move on, we need to be getting to Gringotts.”

Walking into Gringotts they waited in line for one of the goblin’s to become free and help them. It took a while, despite being early in the day the bank had quite a large group of customers waiting to do various business at the bank. Though soon enough it was their turn.

“How may I help you,” drawled the goblin from behind his extremely tall desk.

“May your gold ever flow and your enemies crumble beneath you,” said Tom in greeting to the goblin.

The goblin and the other goblins around that had heard the greeting Tom said looked stunned before narrowing their eyes in sharp looks at the Dark Lord.

“May your vaults never empty and enemies wither, what can I do for you today,” said the goblin who looked impressed which was a hard this to do as they were rarely impressed, least of all by stupid wizards.

“I need to see someone about my son’s adoption as well as all his inheritance.”

The goblin looked from Tom to Nathair, then turned and called out, “Arrow Biter, take these two to see Iron Teeth. Follow him and he will take you to the goblin in charge of adoptions. Good day. NEXT!”

“Follow me,” said the goblin that walked up next to them, that Nathair assumed was Arrow Biter.

After a long walk and a confusing array of long and winding hallways the goblin stopped in front of a door, he knocked and a few seconds later a gruff voice shouted, “come in.”

“In there is Iron Teeth, he will help you with that you need,” and scampered off into an adjoining hallway.

Walking in Tom and Nathair were met with the messiest office either of them had ever seen. Piles of parchment rolls covered a wall, cobwebs coating most of them. Books of all kinds and sizes towered in rickety towers that almost touched the ceiling. And the entire room had dust everywhere that it could be.

“How may Iron Teeth help you today,” huffed out the goblin as they made their way through the books to his desk, which was spotless, so clean the wood gleamed like glass.

And once again Tom uttered a goblin greeting stunning Iron Teeth like he did the teller, who accepted is greeting and returned it.

“Last night I officially adopted my son with a blood adoption potion, I wish to have all of the legal paperwork done to make it legally official, and find out what he will inherit from his birth parents.”

“I see. Birth name?”

“Harry James Potter,” Nathair replied.

Iron Teeth’s eyes narrowed at Nathair's answer. “New name?”

“Nathair Calder Slytherin.”

Iron Teeth’s eyes grew as large as plates before narrowing again. “And your name sir?” He asked Tom.

“Thomas Marvolo Riddle, Heir of Slytherin. If it would be possible I would also like to claim my inheritance, and name my son as the new heir of Slytherin.”

“Yes... of course. I will need to verify that you are who you say you are, and I can use the same test to see what you are both set to inherit.” He pulled out two identical white sheets of paper. “These are enchanted to show your names, parents, which parent you got your magic from, who said parents got their magic from and all things owned, or that will be owned by the person after they come of age and get their inheritance. Take and drop six drops of blood on your parchment,” Iron Teeth said as he handed over two matching daggers, one each to Tom and Nathair.

As soon as the last drop of blood fell onto the paper the blood started to spread across the paper, writing words as it travelled along. Once the blood stopped flowing across the paper and dried Iron Teeth picked up each piece and looked over them before handing each back.

“I see that you are who you say you are, why don’t you take a look and see what they say then we can move on with the other things you came here for.”

_ Name _ _ \- Nathair Calder Slytherin, formerly Harry James Potter _

_ Birthday -  _ _ July 31, 1980 _

_ Parents _

_ Mother _ _ \- Lily Potter nee Evans, dead _

_ Mother’s magic from _ _ \- great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother Andrea Clark nee Ravenclaw - squib, dead, great-great-great-grandfather William Evans -squib, dead _

_Father_ _\- James Charles Potter, dead_

_ Father’s magic from - _ _ Mother Dorea Potter nee Black, dead, Father Charles Potter, dead _

_ Adopted Father -  _ _ Thomas Marvolo Riddle _

_ Father’s magic from -  _ _ Mother Merope Gaunt, dead _

_ GodParents _

_ Godfather -  _ _ Severus Tobias Snape _

_ Godmother -  _ _ Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black _

_ Heir To The House’s Of _

_ Potter _

_ Slytherin _

_ Black  _

_ Gryffindor _

_ Evans _

_ Ravenclaw _

_ Peverell  _

_ Wizgamont Seats _

_ Potter - 2 _

_ Slytherin - 4 _

_ Black - 2 _

_ Gryffindor - 4 _

_ Evans - 2 _

_ Ravenclaw - 4 _

_ Peverell - 3 _

_ Total Votes - 21 _

_ Vaults _

_ Potter  _

_ 757, 345, 624, 779, 905 - estimated combined worth 64.12 billion galleons _

_ Black _ __

_ 684, 241, 407, 731, 692, 885 - estimated combined worth 97.19 billion galleons _

_ Gryffindor  _

_ 17, 3, 387, 231, 55, 54, 39 - estimated combined worth 17.6 billion galleons _

_ Slytherin  _

_ 24, 4, 2, 18, 19, 21, 99, 59 - estimated combined worth 27.17 billion galleons _

_ Ravenclaw  _

_ 1, 5, 12, 10, 23, 74, 379, 81, 82 - estimated combined worth 193.4 million galleons _

_ Peverell  _

_ 66, 67, 69, 342, 238, 237, 276, 289 - estimated combined worth 158.2 billion galleons _

_ Evans  _

_ 645, 772, 773, 629, 843, 930 - estimated combined worth 48 billion galleons _

_ Properties _

_ Potter Properties _

_ Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow, England _

_ Potter Manor, Leeds, England _

_ Potter Villa, Florence, Italy _

_ Potter Summer House, Potter Island, England _

_ Potter Island, England _

_ ⅛ of Diagon Alley _

_ Black Properties _

_ Black Manor, Warrington, England _

_ Black Townhouse, 12 Grimmauld Place, London, England _

_ Black Villa, Athens, Greece _

_ Black Summer House, Paris, France _

_ Black Island, off the coast of India _

_ ⅛ of Diagon Alley _

_ Slytherin Properties _

_ Slytherin Manor, Glasgow, Scotland _

_ Slytherin Villa, Madrid, Spain _

_ Gryffindor Properties _

_ Gryffindor Manor, Dublin, Ireland _

_ Gryffindor Island, Wales _

_ Ravenclaw Properties _

_ Ravenclaw Manor, Manchester, England _

_ Ravenclaw Cottage, Cardiff, Wales _

_ Ravenclaw Villa, Ravenclaw Island, China _

_ Ravenclaw Island, China _

_ Evans Properties _

_ Evans Manor, Blackpool, England _

_ Evans Villa, Alexandria, Egypt _

_ Peverell Properties _

_ Peverell Manor, Liverpool, England _

_ Peverell Cottage, Loch Ness, Scotland _

_ Peverell Cottage, Beachy Head, England _

_ Peverell Cottage, Gwydir Forest, Wales _

_ Peverell Villa, Istanbul, Turkey _

_ Peverell Villa, Barcelona, Spain _

_ Peverell Island, off the Southern Coast of Peru _

_ ⅕ of Diagon Alley _

_ Stocks _

_ Wizarding Stocks _

_ The Daily Prophet - 55% _

_ Ollivander's - 15% _

_ Slug and Jiggers Apothecary- 10% _

_ Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour - 25% _

_ Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions - 45% _

_ Muggle Stocks _

_ Harrods - 20% _

_ AT&T - 10% _

_ New York Times - 40% _

“Wa-wha-what’s the conversion rate of galleons to pounds?” Nathair stuttered out as he read the paper.

“The current rate is about 6 and a half pounds to the galleon.”

“Nathair,” Tom called out in shock as Nathair fell out of his chair onto the ground, fainted from shock. 

“What’s going on?” Asked Tom as he cradled his son in his arms. “What does the conversion rate of money have to do with anything?”

“If you read your son’s paper you will see that he will inherit, what at the present time, is worth just over four hundred billion galleons, approximately sixty-three trillion muggle pounds and none of that is even taking into account the worth of the properties, rent from properties, stocks in both wizarding and muggle companies, all of which are successful, as well as books, jewellery, and heirlooms in the vaults. Making him the richest wizard in the history of the whole wizarding world.”


	10. Chapter 10

Two hours and a well used  **Rennervate** later, Tom and Nathair were leaving Gringotts. Seeing that Nathair was still a little stunned at the revelation that when he could inherit all of it, he would be the richest person in their world. Tom took him to Florean Fortescue’s ice cream shop and bought some ice cream for both to eat as they calmed down so they could finish the rest of their shopping and things they needed to get done while they were in the alley. Though that wasn’t all that had left them both so stunned. 

All the titles and riches Nathiar was to inherit, the monies, homes, lands, and power. Each of the houses whos titles he was set to inherit had much wealth and even more power for each of the titles was a pureblood one, and as such had at least one seat and one vote in the Wizengamot and power to change their world, their laws, something that Dumbledore would have no doubt wanted to use to change their world to suit his desires. As Nathiar was too young to inherit and therefore claim the seats and their voting power, though the seats and their votes could still be used, as Nathiar was not of age his father could use the votes himself or assign a proxy to use them until the time that they could be claimed by Nathiar. Tom and Nathiar stepped aside, away from the goblin, to speak and though Tom could make himself proxy it was unwise to do so as Dumbledore would see him dead before allowing him to wield such power so obviously. The two of them did agreed quickly as to who they thought best to make proxy of the seats, as well as the Slytherin seats which as Lord and Heir Nathiar and Tom had claim to, Lucius. Lucius was the natural choice as Lord Malfoy he already sat on the Wizengamot and was a master in the politics of the Wizarding world.

Also after learning of what he would inherit Nathair learned that Dumbledore, the Dursleys and most of the Weasley family had been stealing money and valuable heirlooms from his vaults. The only members of the Weasley family that weren’t stealing were Charlie and the twins, Fred and George. While the three of them did have vaults set up in their names with large sums of money in them from Nathair’s vaults, they hadn’t been touched, each had the same amount of money in them that had been transferred into it when it was opened. Tom had immediately ordered all the stolen money, and heirlooms be returned, and all of the accounts except for the new vault he had opened for Nathair be sealed until Nathair was of age to inherit them. Though at Nathair’s insistence the twins, and Charlie’s vaults were left untouched, with explicit instructions that only the twins, and Charlie be allowed to remove money, and that Tom be notified right away if their were any changes to any of the vaults.

“Are you ok to go and finish our trip?”

“I think so, everything is just so shocking. I had no idea I would be inheriting so much. And while it’s not so surprising, I’m still shocked at what Dumbledore and the Weasley’s were doing, though Dumbledore had taken more money and heirlooms than any of the others. I am happy that Charlie, Fred, and George weren’t using the vaults that they were given. While I think I always knew something was off about Ron and Hermione, Fred and George kind of took me under their wing, they were always making sure I was okay. And after I met Charlie after the dragon thing, we were able to exchange a few letters. And I know the Twins and him were real close, closer to each other than their other brothers.”

“What’s this about a dragon?” Asked Tom suddenly looking a little stunned.

“Oh that’s right, you don’t know,” said Nathair sheepishly as he looked down at his empty ice cream dish. “Well you see Hagrid got a dragon egg for some random guy he knew and he hatched it, so I went along with Ron and Hermione’s plan to sneak it out of the castle. You see Charlie works on a dragon reserve in Romania, so Ron wrote to him and he and a few friends came to the castle in the middle of the night to get the dragon. That’s how we all got sent into the forest for detention. We might have gotten away with it but Draco was wandering the halls looking for us, and went to McGonagall, who gave us all detention.”

“I see why you weren’t friends with Draco now. But why in the world would you deal with a dragon, even a newly hatched one?”

“I seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Well as you’ve finished your ice cream why don’t we go to get your clothes,” Tom said as he stood up and sent their dishes back to the counter. 

Following Tom they headed to Twilfitt and Tattings, which was a more expensive clothing store than Madam Malkin's. Walking in they were immediately met by a young lady.

“Welcome to Twilfitt and Tattings, how may I help you today,” she asked them.

“Yes, I would like a full wardrobe for my son, formal clothes, robes, shoes, and other necessities.”

“Ok, if you would step through here and stand on the pedestal like stool so I can get your measurements.”

As Nathair stood on the stool a tape measure popped out of nowhere and ran all over him stopping for a few seconds as it stilled in one place then moved on to another.

“Alright now that I have your measurements you can step off. Is there anything in particular you would like?” Asked the lady as she tucked her wand back in her long bright blue flowing robes.

“He will need at least six formal robes, and eight casual. As well as formal and casual pants, shirts, shoes, pajamas, and undergarments. At least a dozen of each and five or so pairs of shoes...” Looking over at Nathair to see if he had any objections, seeing none Tom said,” I think that’s all.”

“Any particular colors that you would like, or ones that you don’t want?” She asked as she jotted down the information.

“Most of them should be in blacks, grays, blues, and greens. No red, no matter what, no yellow, orange, and I suppose some browns and purple would be ok,” Nathair said.

“And is there a particular date you need any of this by?”

“No, but if it’s possible I would like it done before the end of the week.”

“Alright if you would follow me.” She took them back out front and to the checkout desk. “Alright would you like to pick this up, or owl delivery?”

“Owl will be fine,” said Tom.

“Alright, that will be seventy eight galleons.” Tom pulled out his new Gringotts card that he got at the bank before he left. It worked like a muggle debit card, so you didn’t have to carry around pounds of galleons to do your shopping. And it only worked if the person or persons who owned the vault were using it, it had a spell on it to recognize the owners magical signature, to prevent anyone stealing the card and spending the money.

“Thank you for shopping at Twilfitt and Tattings, your order should be done by Friday. Have a nice day.”

After leaving Twilfitt and Tattings, they headed to Madam Malkin’s Robes for all Occasions for some less formal wear, casual robes and all kinds of muggle styled clothes. 

HP/FG-TW

“Can we stop by Flourish and Blotts? I wanted to get a few books while we were here. I know that the manor has a huge library, but I wanted to look around and see if I could find anything interesting.”

“That’s fine, we have plenty of time. I’ll go in with you. I could use the new Ancient Runes encyclopedia that just came out,” Tom said as he steered Nathair through the now more crowded alley.

Once in the store Nathair went one way and Tom headed towards the Runes section. 

Nathair on the other hand flitted from one section to the other, picking up any books that caught his attention that he hadn’t seen in the Malfoy library. 

What seemed like a few minutes later, but was really almost an hour later, Tom came across Nathair going through the large pile of books he had grabbed as he went through the store. 

“I see you found some,” Tom said lightly as he approached Nathair.

Flushing bright red, Nathair blushed in embarrassment. “I’m not getting all of them, I’m going through them to see which ones I really want.”

“Well I can tell you now that these ones are either in the main manor library, one of the smaller ones, Lucius’s, or my offices.” Tom pulled and set aside almost half of the books. 

“Oh, well I definitely want these,” said Nathair as he put some books in another plie.

“ _ Common Household Spells for Everyday Use, Cooking With Magic, Runes and Strange Uses for Them, Charms To Be Used On Objects, Potion Ingredients and Their Magical Properties Outside of Potions, and Curse Breaking: A Beginner’s Guide.  _ Not a bad selection, some of these I wouldn’t have thought to have you read, but I can see the general need for them.”

Going through the rest of the books they headed up to the front of the store, paid for their books and left.

“Now we should go to Ollivander's. Unless you want to go somewhere else before we leave the alley?” Asked Tom as he put the shrunken books in his pocket.

“No, I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Walking down the alley they soon found themselves in front of Ollivander's. Going in they looked around, not seeing Ollivander anywhere in the store. 

“This is certainly a strange sight, the Dark Lord Voldemort, and Harry Potter, though neither one of you are those people anymore. Yew and phoenix feather, holly and phoenix feather, both feathers from the same phoenix. Yours destroyed, and yours is unusable as your present self. Tom, you shall go first.”

“I don’t need a new one.”

“I think you do, you can use wandless magic as much as you like but I can tell you that you will need a new wand,” said Ollivander as he pulled out his magical tape measure, which wrapped around Tom as he was about to protest. 

Reading the measurements Ollivander disappeared into the towers of wand boxes, returning with a dozen boxes that threatened to fall out of his grasp as he walked them to his counter.

“Yew and dragon heartstring, fourteen inches, rather wispy... No.” The wand shattered an ink well.

By the time they had gone through over twenty wands Ollivander had given up on wands he had already made and taken them to his workshop in the back.

“Take your wand hand and stretch it out over the crates of wood, once you find one that gives a little tug at your hand tell me.” So Tom waved his wand over each of the boxes of wood, stopping at the eight box.

“Elder... now do the same to the cores over here along this wall,” said Ollivander as he grabbed a piece of elder.

“Ground ashwinder egg... that’s very unstable for a wand core. Do the same but only over the vials of liquid.”

“Dragon blood, from a opaleye, if I’m not mistaken. It will take a few hours to put your wand together, why don’t we find young Nathair’s wand then if you would like to go and get lunch, I can have it done when you come back.”

HP/FG-TW

“Hawthorne and mermaid blood, twelve inches... Evergreen and werewolf venom, fifteen inches... Cherry and dragon scales, ten inches, good for chrames... Cedar and runspore venom... Elder and unicorn hair... Maple and basilisk scales.” The slightly red colored wand sent up a shower of golden sparks. “Maple and basilisk scales, fourteen and a half inches springy and good for defensive and offensive spells. Normally they aren't a good match for each other, but I can tell that this wand is a good match for you... That will be eight galleons.”

“And a wand holder as well,” said Tom as he pulled out his Gringotts card.

“Then it will be ten galleons.”

Paying for the wand and the wand holder Tom and Nathair headed towards the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. Walking into the tavern they sat in one of the back booths, as they sat down two menus appeared on the table.

Looking over the menu Tom decided on a roast beef and cheddar grilled sandwich with a side bowl of chicken dumpling soup, and a bottle of butterbeer. Nathair chose a turkey deli sandwich, crisps, a side of chicken dumpling soup as well, and a butterbeer at Tom's insistence that he would like it. Taping his wand on what they both wanted Nathair sat back and waited for the food to come, which popped onto the table a few seconds later.

_ He was right,  _ Nathair thought as he finished his lunch, saving most of the butterbeer until the rest of his food was gone, so he could enjoy the creamy flavor of butterbeer.

HP/FG-TW

“Elder, dragon blood, and Ground ashwinder egg. Fifteen inches, very flexible,” said Ollivander as he handed over the newly made wand. It’s dark wood gleaming in the candlelight, very contrasted from his original wand which was a pale white. This one was twisted like a branch as well which was very unusual as most wands were straight. “That will be ten galleons, twelve if you want a wand holder as well as the wand.”

Paying Tom and Nathair headed for the apparition point and apparated back to Malfoy manor.


End file.
